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Catena iurca,
COMMENTARY
ON THii
FOUR GOSPELS,
COLLECTED OUT OF THE
WORKS OF THE FATHERS
uv
S. THOMAS AQUINAS.
VOL. IV. PART 1.
ST. JOHN.
OXFORD,
JOHN HENRY PARKER;
J. G. P. AND J. RIVINGTON, LONDON.
MDCCCXLV.
NOV 1 2 4
730 5
PASTES, PRINTER, OXFORD.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The following Compilation not being admissible into the
Library of the Fathers from the date of some few of the
authors introduced into it, the Editors of the latter work
have been led to publish it in a separate form, being assured
that those who have subscribed to their Translations of the
entire Treatises of the ancient Catholic divines, will not feel
less interest, or find less benefit, in the use of so very
judicious and beautiful a selection from them. The Editors
refer to the Preface for some account of the natural and
characteristic excellences of the work, which will be found
as useful in the private study of the Gospels, as it is well
adapted for family reading, and full of thought, for those who
are engaged in religious instruction,
Oxford, May 6. 1841,
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding'from
University of Toronto
http://www.archive.org/details/p1catenaaureacomme04thom
COMMENTARY
ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
ST. JOHN.
CHAP. I.
Ver. 1. In the beginning was the Word,
Chrys. While all the other Evangelists begin with the Chrys.
Incarnation, John, passing over the Conception, Nativity, p^jj 'in"
education, and growth, speaks immediately of the Eternal Joan-
Generation, saying, In the beginning was the Word. Aug. Aug.lib.
The Greek word "logos" signifies both Word and Reason, q™'
But in this passage it is better to interpret it Word ; as refer- q- 63.
ring not only to the Father, but to the creation of things by
the operative power of the Word; whereas Reason, though it
produce nothing, is still rightly called Reason. Aug. Words Aug.
by their daily use, sound, and passage out of us, have become s ™cr *
common things. But there is a word which remaineth inward, Joan. i.
in the very man himself; distinct from the sound which pro-
ceedeth out of the mouth. There is a word, which is truly
and spiritually that, which you understand by the sound, not
being the actual sound. Now whoever can conceive thedeTrin.
notion of word, as existing not only before its sound, butc'*9V/x)
even before the idea of its sound is formed, may see enigmati-
cally, and as it were in a glass, some similitude of that Word of
Which it is said, In the beginning was the Word. For when
we give expression to something which we know, the word
used is necessarily derived from the knowledge thus retained
in the memory, and must be of the same quality with that
knowledge. For a word is a thought formed from a thing
which we know ; which word is spoken in the heart, being
neither Greek nor Latin, nor of any language, though, when
we want to communicate it to others, some sign is assumed
VOL. TV. 15
2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Ibid, by which to express it. . . . Wherefore the word which sounds
/^j\ ' externally, is a sign of the word which lies hid within, to which
the name of word more truly appertains. For that which is
uttered by the mouth of our flesh, is the voice of the word ;
and is in fact called word, with reference to that from which it
Basil, is taken, when it is developed externally. Basil ; This Word
°™'inis not a human word. For how was there a human word in
Joan. t]ie beginning, when man received his being last of all ?
There was not then any word of man in the beginning, nor
vet of Angels; for even' creature is within the limits of time,
having its beginning of existence from the Creator. But
what says the Gospel? It calls the Only-Begotten Himself
Chrys. the Word. Chrys. But why omitting the Father, does he
Joan. n. Pr°ceed at once to speak of the Son? Because the Father
[].]§. 4. was knowll to all; though not as the Father, yet as God;
whereas the Only-Begotten was not known. As was meet
then, he endeavours first of all to inculcate the knowledge of
the Son on those who knew Him not; though neither in dis-
coursing on Him, is he altogether silent on the Father.
And inasmuch as he was about to teach that the Word was
the Only-Begotten Son of God, that no one might think this
Tah^rif a passible generation, he makes mention of the Word in the
first place, in order to destroy the dangerous suspicion, and
shew that the Son was from God impassibly. And a second
Johnio, reason is, that He was to declare unto us the things of the
Father. But he does not speak of the Word simply, but with
the addition of the article, in order to distinguish It from
other words. For Scripture calls God's laws and command-
ments words; but this Word is a certain Substance, or Person,
an Essence, coming forth impassibly from the Father Himself.
Basil. Basil; Wherefore then Word ? Because born impassiblv, the
Hom. in _ TT. . . ,_ r
princ. Image ol Him that begat, manifesting all the Father in Him-
Joan. seif . abstracting from Him nothing, but existing perfect in
Aug. Himself. Aug. As our knowledge differs from God's, so
Trin.e does our word> ^hich arises from our knowledge, differ from
c. 22. that Word of God, which is born of the Father's essence ;
we might say, from the Fathers knowledge, the Father's
wisdom, or, more correctly, the Father Who is Knowledge,
the Father Who is Wisdom. The Word of God then, the
c.23. Onlv-Begotten Son of the Father, is in all things like and
(xiv.) °
VER. 1 . ST. JOHN. 3
equal to the Father; being altogether what the Father is, yet
not the Father ; because the one is the Son, the other the
Father. And thereby He knoweth all things which the
Father knoweth ; yet His knowledge is from the Father, even
as is His being : for knowing and being are the same with
Him ; and so as the Father's being is not from the Son, so
neither is His knowing. Wherefore the Father begat the
Word equal to Himself in all things as uttering forth Him-
self. For had there been more or less in His Word than in
Himself, He would not have uttered Himself fully and per-
fectly. With respect however to our own inner word, which
we find, in whatever sense, to be like the Word, let us not
object to see how very unlike it is also. A word is a forma- cap. 25.
tion of our mind going to take place, but not yet made, and(xv*)
something in our mind which we toss to and fro in a slippery
circuitous way, as one thing and another is discovered, or
occurs to our thoughts. When this, which we toss to and
fro, has reached the subject of our knowledge, and been
formed therefrom, when it has assumed the most exact like-
ness to it, and the conception has quite answered to the
thing ; then we have a true word. WTho may not see how
great the difference is here from that Word of God, which
exists in the Form of God in such wise, that It could not
have been first going to be formed, and afterwards formed,
nor can ever have been unformed, being a Form absolute,
and absolutely equal to Him from Whom It is. Wherefore
in speaking of the Word of God here nothing is said about
thought in God ; lest we should think there was any thing
revolving in God, which might first receive form in order to
be a Word, and afterwards lose it, and be carried round
and round again in an unformed state. Aug. Now the Word Aug. de
of God is a Form, not a formation, but the Form of all ierb"
forms, a Form unchangeable, removed from accident, from Semi.
failure, from time, from space, surpassing all things, and
existing in all things as a kind of foundation underneath,
and summit above them. Basil; Yet has our outward Basil,
word some similarity to the Divine Word. For our word H?m* m
. . princ.
declares the whole conception of the mind; since what we Joan,
conceive in the mind we bring out in word. Indeed our '
heart is as it were the source, and the uttered word the
B 2
4 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Chrys. stream which flows therefrom. Chrys. Observe the spiritual
' wisdom of the Evangelist. He knew that men honoured
most what was most ancient, and that honouring what is before
every thing else, they conceived of it as God. On this account
he mentions first the beginning, saying, In the beginning
Orig. was the Word. Origen ; There are many significations of
in Joan tms wor^ beginning. For there is a beginning of a journey,
c 16. and beginning of a length, according to Proverbs, The be-
©t SQ •
Pro?.' ginning of the right, path is to do justice. There is a
i?\ beginning too of a creation, according to Job, He is the
Job 40, beginning* of the ways of God. Nor would it be incorrect
■ hi f t0 sa«v> tnat ^0(^ *s *ne Beginning of all things. The
of,E.T.preexistent material again, where supposed to be original,
pium'" out of which any thing is produced, is considered as the
yul£- beginning. There is a beginning also in respect of form :
18. as where Christ is the beginning of those who are made
according to the image of God. And there is a beginning
Heb 5 °* doctrine, according to Hebrews; When for the tune ye
12. ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the fir Hi principles of the oracles of God. For there
are two kinds of beginning of doctrine: one in itself, the other
relative to us ; as if we should say that Christ, in that He is
the Wisdom and Word of God, was in Himself the beginning
of wisdom, but to us, in that He was the Word incarnate.
c. 22. There being so many significations then of the word, we may
take it as the Beginning through Whom, i.e. the Maker; for
Christ is Creator as The Beginning, in that He is Wisdom ;
so that the Word is in the beginning, i. e. in Wisdom; the
Saviour being all these excellences at once. As life then is
in the Word, so the Word is in the Beginning, that is to say,
in Wisdom. Consider then if it be possible according to
this signification to understand the Beginning, as meaning
that all things are made according to Wisdom, and the
patterns contained therein ; or, inasmuch as the Beginning
of the Son is the Father, the Beginning of all creatures and
existencies, to understand by the text, In the beginning
Aug. de was the Word, that the Son, the Word, was in the Begin-
c. 3. (u) rongi that is, in the Father. Aug. Or, In the beginning,
Basil. as if it were said, before all things. Basil; The Holy
Horn, in i • i
princ. Ghost foresaw that men would arise, who should envy
Joan.
VER. 1. ST. JOHN. 5
the glory of the Only-Begotten, subverting their hearers by
sophistry; as if because He were begotten, He was not; and
before He was begotten, He was not. That none might pre-
sume then to babble such things, the Holy Ghost saith, In
the beginning was the Word, Hilary ; Years, centuries, Hilar,
ages, are passed over, place what beginning thou wilt in thy l^ri^
imagining, thou graspest it not in time, for He, from Whom itc- 13-
is derived, still was. Chrys. As then when our ship is near Chrys.
shore, cities and port pass in survey before us, which on the m* *"
open sea vanish, and leave nothing whereon to fix the eye;
so the Evangelist here, taking us with him in his flight above
the created world, leaves the eye to gaze in vacancy on an
illimitable expanse. For the words, was in the beginning r,
are significative of eternal and infinite essence. Aug. They Aug. de
say, however, if He is the Son, He was born. We allow it. j)e0rm'#
They rejoin: if the Son was born to the Father, the Father Serm-
was, before the Son was born to Him. This the Faith [117.]
rejects. Then they say, explain to us how the Son could §• 6-
be bom irora the Father, and yet be coeval with Him from
whom He is born : for sons are born after their fathers, to
succeed them on their death. They adduce analogies from
nature ; and we must endeavour likewise to do the same for
our doctrine. But how can we find in nature a coeternal,
when we cannot find an eternal ? However, if a thing
generating and a thing generated can be found any where
coeval, it will be a help to forming a notion of coeternals.
Now Wisdom herself is called in the Scriptures, the bright- -vvis(1 7
ness of Everlasting Light, the image of the Father. Hence 26-
then let us take our comparison, and from coevals form a
notion of coeternals. Now no one doubts that brightness
proceeds from fire: fire then we may consider the father
of the brightness. Presently, when I light a candle, at
the same instant with the fire, brightness ariseth. Give
me the fire without the brightness, and I will with thee
believe that the Father was without the Son. An image
is produced by a mirror. The image exists as soon a*
the beholder appears; yet the beholder existed before he
came to the mirror. Let us suppose then a twig, or a blade
of grass which has grown up by the water side. Is it not born
with its image? If there had always been the twig, their
6 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO (HAT. I.
would always have been the image proceeding from the twig.
And whatever is from another thing, is born. So then that
which generates may be coexistent from eternity with that
which is generated from it. But some one will say perhaps,
Well, I understand now the eternal Father, the coeternal Son :
yet the Son is like the emitted brightness, which is less bril-
liant than the fire, or the reflected image, which is less real than
the twig. Not so: there is complete equality between Father
and Son. I do not believe, he says ; for thou hast found
nothing whereto to liken it. However, perhaps we can find
something in nature by which we may understand that the
Son is both coeternal with the Father, and in no respect
inferior also: though we cannot find any one material of com-
parison that will be sufficient singly, and must therefore join
together two, one of which has been employed by our adver-
saries, the other by ourselves. For they have drawn their
comparison from things which are preceded in time by the
things which they spring from, man, for example, from man.
Nevertheless, man is of the same substance with man. We
have then in that nativity an equality of nature ; an equality
of time is wanting. But in the comparison which we have
, drawn from the brightness of fire, and the reflexion of a twig,
an equality of nature thou dost not find, of time thou dost.
In the Godhead then there is found as a whole, what
here exists in single and separate parts; and that which
is in the creation, existing in a manner suitable to the
Sest Creator. Ex Gestis Concilii Ephesini ; Wherefore in one
Cone. 7
Eph. place divine Scripture calls Him the Son, in another the
Word, in another the Brightness of the Father; names
severally meant to guard against blasphemy. For, foras-
much as thy son is of the same nature with thyself, the
Scripture wishing to shew that the Substance of the Father
and the Son is one, sets forth the Son of the Father, born of
the Father, the Only-Begotten. Next, since the terms birth
and son, convey the idea of passibleness, therefore it calls
the Son the Word, declaring by that name the impassibility
of His Nativity. But inasmuch as a father with us is neces-
sarily older than his son, lest thou shouldest think that this
applied to the Divine nature as well, it calls the Only-Begotten
the Brightness of the Father ; for brightness, though arising
\ ER. 1. ST. JOHN. 7
from the sun, is not posterior to it. Understand then that
Brightness, as revealing the coeternity of the Son with the
Father; Word as proving the impassibility of His birth, and
Son as conveying His consubstantiality. Chrys. But they Chrys.
say that In the beginning does not absolutely express inJoan.
eternity: for that the same is said of the heaven and the"1-^1-]
earth: In the beginning God made the heaven and the Gen. 1,
earth. But are not made and teas, altogether different? '
For in like manner as the word is, when spoken of man,
signifies the present only, but when applied to God, that
which always and eternally is ; so too was, predicated of our
nature, signifies the past, but predicated of God, eternity.
Origen; The verb to be, has a double signification, sometimes OHg.
expressing the motions which take place in time, as other divers. *
verbs do; sometimes the substance of that one thing of which loc-
it is predicated, without reference to time. Hence it is also
called a substantive verb. Hilary : Consider then the world, Hilar.
A
understand what is written of it. /// the beginning Godjvin,
made the heaven and the earth. Whatever therefore is c- Xlii*
created is made in the beginning, and thou wouldest contain
in time, what, as being to be made, is contained in the be-
ginning. But, lo, for me, an illiterate unlearned fisherman is 7l[eus
independent of time, unconfined by ages, advanceth beyond (HH.)
all beginnings. For the Word was, what it is, and is not
bounded by any time, nor commenced therein, seeing It was
not rnade in the beginning, but was. Alcuin; To refute
those who inferred from Christ's Birth in time, that He had
not been from everlasting, the Evangelist begins with the
eternity of the Word, saying, In the beginning was the
Word.
And the Word was with God.
Chrys. Because it is an especial attribute of God, to be Chrys.
eternal and without a beginning, he laid this down first : then, f?T,f'
lest any one on hearing in the beginning teas the Word, should
suppose the Word Unbegotten, he instantly guarded against
this; saying, And the Word ivas with God. Hilary ;?ilar'
-brom the beginning He is with God: and though inde-Trin.
8 (iOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHaP. I .
Basil, pendent of time, is not independent of an Author. Basil;
princ. Again he repeats this, was, beeaase of men blasphemously
Joan, saving, that there was a time when He was not. Where
§. 4. "
then was the Word ? Illimitable things are not contained
in space. Where was He then? With God. For neither
is the Father bounded by place, nor the Son by aught
Orig. circumscribing. Origex ; It is worth while noting, that,
in Joan, whereas the Word is said to come1 [be made] to some, as to
J\r* Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, with God it is not made, as though
Vulg. it were not with Him before. But, the Word having been
E T always with Him, it is said, and the Word was with God:
for from the beginning it was not separate from the Father.
Chrys. Chrys. He has not said, was in God, but was with God:
exhibiting to us that eternity which He had in accordance
Theoph. with His Person. T^heophyl. Sabellius is overthrown by
m loco. ^ lext For he asserts that the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost are one Person, Who sometimes appeared as the
Father, sometimes as the Son, sometimes as the Hoby Ghost.
But he is manifestly confounded by this text, and Vie Word
teas with God; for here the Evangelist declares that the Son
is one Person, God the Father another.
And the Word was God.
Hilar .ii. Hilary ; Thou wilt say, that a word is the sound of the voice,
ce15nn'the enunciation of a thing, the expression of a thought: this
Word was in the beginning with God, because the utterance
of thought is eternal, when He who thinketh is eternal. But
how was that in the beginning, which exists no time either
before, or after, I doubt even whether in time at all ? For
speech is neither in existence before one speaks, nor after ; in
the very act of speaking it vanishes ; for by the time a
speech is ended, that from which it began does not exist.
But even if the first sentence, in the beginning was the Word,
was through thy inattention lost upon thee, why disputest
thou about the next; and the Word teas with God? Didst
thou hear it said, " In God," so that thou shouldest under-
stand this Word to be only the expression of hidden
thoughts ? Or did John sav tvith by mistake, and was not
VER. I. ST. JOHN. 9
aware of the distinction between being in, and being with,
when he said, that what was in the beginning, was not
in God, but with God ? Hear then the nature and name of
the Word ; and the Word teas God. No more then of the
sound of the voice, of the expression of the thought. The
Word here is a Substance, not a sound ; a Nature, not an
expression; God, not a nonentity. Hilary; But the title is Hilar,
absolute, and free from the offence of an extraneous subject. Trin.c.
To Moses it is said, / have given1 thee for a god foSMMi.
Pharaoh: but is not the reason for the name added, when iti.
is said, to Pharaoh? Moses is given for a god to Pharaoh, !^w*w*
when he is feared, when he is entreated, when he punishes, made,
XT T1
when he heals. And it is one thing to be given for a God, Dg'
another thing to be God. I remember too another applica-
tion of the name in the Psalms, I have said, ye are gods. Ps. 82.
But there too it is implied that the title was but bestowed ;
and the introduction of, / said, makes it rather the phrase
of the Speaker, than the name of the thing. But when I
hear the Word was God, I not only hear the Word said to
be, but perceive It proved to be, God. Basil; Thus cutting Basil,
off the cavils of blasphemers, and those who ask what the iu princ*#
Word is, he replies, and the Word teas God. Theophyl. Or Joan- c-
combine it thus. From the Word being with God, it follows
plainly that there are two Persons. But these two are of
one Nature; and therefore it proceeds, In the Word was
God: to shew that Father and Son are of One Nature, being
of One Godhead. Origen; We must add too, that the Orig.
Word illuminates the Prophets with Divine wisdom, in that[°™'"^
He cometh to them ; but that with God He ever is, because inprinc.
He is God a. For which reason he placed and the Word icas
with God, before and the Word was God. Chrys. Not assert- Chrys.
ing, as Plato does, one to be intelligence1, the other soul2; for ni g'J"
the Divine Nature is very different from this But you ' »•««
say, the Father is called God with the addition of the article, jv# k^j
the Son without it. What say you then, when the Apostle3-
a The Greek has, ir^bs Ti rb* 0»av b equally present with God. S. Thomas
&us tori rvy^atui, Uvl rc'ii i7»«u x^ls avoids the apparent tautology in the
auTav, lit. but with God, God is present original by substituting u apud Deum
at all times, because He is with Him, vero est Verbum obtinere ab eo quod
i. e. <Tvyxta.*iH and iTva/ are one with sit Deus."
God. The Word, as God, is always
10 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Tit. 2, writes, The great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; and again,
Rom. 9 Who is over all, God; and Grace be unto you and peace
5: from God our Father ; without the article ? Besides, too, it
Kom. 1, ill rn J ■
7. were superfluous here, to affix what had been affixed just
before. So that it does not follow, though the article is not
affixed to the Son, that He is therefore an inferior God.
2. The same was in the beginnm"* with God.
Hilar. Hilary; Whereas he had said, the Word was God, the
Triii. c. fearfulness, and strangeness of the speech disturbed me ; the
16- prophets having declared that God was One. But, to quiet
my apprehensions, the fisherman reveals the scheme of this so
great mystery, and refers all to one, without dishonour, with-
out obliterating [the Person], without reference to time b,
saying, The Same was in the beginning with God; with One
Unbegotten God, from whom He is, the One Only-begotten
God. Theophyl. Again, to stop any diabolical suspicion,
that the Word, because He was God, might have rebelled
against His Father, as certain Gentiles fable, or, being-
separate, have become the antagonist of the Father Himself
he says, The Same ivas in the beginning with God; that
is to say, this Word of God never existed separate from
Chrys. q0([ Chrys. Or, lest hearing that In the beginning was
[iii.] §. the Word, you should regard It as eternal, but yet under-
stand the Father's Life to have some degree of priority, he has
introduced the words, The Same was in the beginning with
God. For God was never solitary, apart from Him, but
ibid. 3. always God with God. Or forasmuch as he said, the Word
was God, that no one might think the Divinity of the Son
inferior, he immediately subjoins the marks of proper
rb $«/*<- Divinity, in that he both again mentions Eternity, The Same
°w' was in the beginning with God ; and adds His attribute of
Orig. Creator, All things icere made by Him. Origen ; Or thus,
in Joan, the Evangelist having begun with those propositions, reunites
c- 4- them into one, saying, The Same was in the beginning with
b Since He was 1) " in the begin- nor 3) in existing in God only, so as to
ning," and 2) u God," and 3) " with confound or destroy the Personality.
God," He was 1) not " in time," nor [from S. Hil. 1. c]
2) a word, but The Wrord, (see p. 8.)
VER. 3. ST. JOHN. 11
God. For in the first of the three we learnt in what the
Word was, that it was in the beginning ; in the second, with
whom, ivith God; in the third who the Word was, God.
Having, then, by the term, The Same, set before us in a
manner God the Word of Whom he had spoken, he
collects all into the fourth proposition, viz. In the begin-
ning was the Word, and the Word teas with God, and the
Word was God; into, the Same teas in the beginning with God.
It may be asked, however, why it is not said, In the beginning
was the Word of God, and the Word of God was with God,
and the Word of God was God ? Now whoever will admit
that truth is one, must needs admit also that the demonstration
of truth, that is wisdom, is one. But if truth is one, and wisdom
is one, the Word which enuntiates truth and developes wisdom
in those who are capable of receiving it, must be One also. And
therefore it would have been out of place here to have said,
the W^ord of God, as if there were other words besides that
of God, a word of angels, word of men, and so on. We do
not say this, to deny that It is the Word of God, but to shew
the use of omitting the word God. John himself too in the
Apocalypse says, And his Name is called the Word of God. Rev. 19,
Alcuin ; Wherefore does he use the substantive verb, teas f
That you might understand that the Word, Which is co-
eternal with God the Father, was before all time.
3. All things were made by him.
Alcuin ; After speaking of the nature of the Son, he
proceeds to His operations, saying, All things were made by
him, i. e. every thing whether substance, or property. Hilary ; Hilar.
Or thus: [It is said], the Word indeed was in the beginning,!^" j*e
but it may be that He was not before the beginning. Bute. ir.
what saith he; All things icere made by him. He is infinite
by Whom every thing, which is, was made : and since all
things were made by Him, time is likewise0. Chrys. Moses chrys.
indeed, in the beginning of the Old Testament, speaks to 5°™*^
us in much detail of the natural world, saying, /// the
c That is to say, The text, All He Who made all things, made time,
things were made by Him, makes up for and so must have existed before time,
the words, in the beginning, should these i. e. from eternity,
appear to fall short of eternity. For
12 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
beginning God made the heaven and the earth; and then
relates how that the light, and the firmament, and the stars,
and the various lands of animals were created. But the
Evangelist sums up the whole of this in a word, as familiar
to hi^ hearers ; and hastens to loftier matter, making the
whole of his book to bear not on the works, but on the
Aug. 1. Maker. Aug. Since all things were made by him, it is es ident
ad ift tnat nSnt was a^s0' wnen G°d said, Let there be light. And
cap. 2. in like manner the rest. But if so, that which God said, viz.
Let there be light, is eternal. For the Word of God, God with
God, is coetemal with the Father, though the world created
bv Him be temporal. For whereas our when and so?neti7?ies
are words of time, in the Word of God, on the contrary,
when a thing ought to be made, is eternal ; and the thing is
then made, when in that Word it is that it ought to be made,
which Word hath in It neither when, or at sometime,
Aug. since It is all eternal. Aug. How then can the Word of God
tract T' De mar^e-> wn?n God by the Word made all things ? For if the
c- ll- Word Itself were made, bv what other Word was It made ? If
you say it was the Word of the Word by Which That was
made, that Word I call the Only-Begotten Son of God.
1 Ver- But if thou dost not call It the Word of the Word1, then
Verbi grant that that Word was not made, by which all things were
ed.Ben. made. Aug. And if It is not made, It is not a creature; but
J)gj A Q .
Auff.de if It is not a creature, It is of the same Substance with the
T"n;1: Father. For every substance which is not God is a creature;
c.9.(vi.) * .
Theoph.and what is not a creature is God. Theophyl. The Arians
in oe* are wont to saj, that all things are spoken of as made by the
Son, in the sense in which we say a door is made by a saw, viz.
as an instrument; not that He was Himself the Maker. And
so they talk of the Son as a thing made, as if He were made
for this purpose, that all things might be made by Him. Now
we to the inventors of this lie reply simply : If, as ye say, the
Father had created the Son, in order to make use of Him as an
instrument, it would appear that the Son were less honourable
than the things made, just as things made by a saw are more
noble than the saw itself; the saw having been made for their
sake. In like way do they speak of the Father creating the
Son for the sake of the things made, as if, had He thought
good to create the universe, neither would He have produced
VER. 3. ST. JOHN. 13
the Son. What can be more insane than such language ?
They argue, however, why was it not said that the Word
made all things, instead of the preposition by1 being used?1*'*
For this reason, that thou mightest not understand an Un-
begotten and Unoriginate Son, a rival God d. Chrys. If Chrys.
the preposition by perplex thee, and thou wouldest learn Jo°™* ^
from Scripture that the Word Itself "made all things, hear David, [iv.]c.2.
Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the Ps. 101.
earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. That he
spoke this of the Only-Begotten, you learn from the Apostle,
who in the Epistle to the Hebrews applies these words to the
Son. Chrys. But if you say that the prophet spoke this of the Chrys.
Father, and that Paul applied it to the Son, it comes to the same c ^a^"
thing. For he would nothave mentioned that as applicable to the
Son, unless he fully considered that the Father and the Son
were of equal dignity. If again thou dream that in the
preposition by any subjection is implied, why does Paul use
t of the Father ? as, God is faithful, by Whom ye were called 1 Cor.i,
into the fellowship of His Son; and again, Paid an Apostle 2'cor.i
by the will of God. Origen; Here too Valentinus errs, *• .
saying, that the Word supplied to the Creator the cause of torn. ii.
the creation of the world6. If this interpretation is true, it0,8,
should have been written that all things had their existence
from the Word through the Creator, not contrariwise,
through the Word from the Creator.
And without him was not any thing made.
Chrys. That you may not suppose, when he says, All things Chrys.
were made by Him, that he meant only the things Moses badjaprjnc"
spoken of, he seasonably brings in, And without Him was
not any thing made, nothing, that is, cognizable either by
the senses, or the understanding. Or thus ; Lest you should
suspect the sentence, All things were made by Him, to refer
to the miracles which the other Evangelists had related, he
adds, and without Him was not any thing made. Hilary; Hilar.
Or thus; That all things were made by him, is pronouncing deTrin.
c. 18.
d The text of Aug. has et Dei con- p to* r»jv cc'inn* -ru^i^ayrcc t»s yiAirtut
ditorem, perhaps it should he, et Deo iou xotpov rw Ivf/iou^yu. Origen is
contrarium,(asbeforePatricontrarium.) speaking of Heracleon, a disciple of
Theoph. has atrtho*. valentinus,
14 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
too much, it may be said. There is an Unbegotten Who is
made of none, and there is the Son Himself begotten from
Him Who is Unbegotten. The Evangelist however again
implies the Author, when he speaks of Him as Associated ;
saying, without Him teas not any thing made. This, that
nothing was made without Him, I understand to mean the
Son's not being alone, for ' by whom' is one thing, c not with-
Orig. out whom' another. Origen: Or thus, that thou mightest
in div. n°t think that the things made by the Word had a separate
loc. existence, and were not contained in the Word, he says,
and without Him was not any thing made: that is, not any
thing was made externally of Him ; for He encircles all
Aug. things, as the Preserver of all things. Aug. Or, by saying,
TestSt without Him was not any thing made, he tells us not to
N. V. suspect Him in any sense to be a thing made. For how
can He be a thing made, when God, it is said, made nothing
Orig. without Him ? Origen ; If all things were made by the Word,
in Joh. an(j ^n ^e number of all things is wickedness, and the whole
torn. u. n 7
c. 7. influx of sin, these too were made bv the Word ; which is false.
Now c nothing' and e a thing which is not,' mean the same.
And the Apostle seems to call wicked things, things which
Rom. 4, are not, God calleth those things which be not, as though
'*• they were. All wickedness then is called nothing, forasmuch
as it is made without the Word. Those who sav however that
the devil is not a creature of God, err. In so far as he is the
devil, he is not a creature of God; but he, whose character it
is to be the devil, is a creature of God. It is as if we should
say a murderer is not a creature of God, when, so far as he is
Aug. in a man, he is a creature of God. Aug. For sin was not made
T V»
tract. i. by Him; for it is manifest that sin is nothing, and that men
c- 13- become nothing when they sin. Nor was an idol made by
the Word. It has indeed a sort of form of man, and man
himself was made by the Word ; but the form of man in an
l Cor. 8, idol was not made by the Word: for it is written, ice know
that an idol is nothing. These then were not made by the
Word; but whatever things were made naturally, the whole
universe, were; every creature from an angel to a worm.
Orig. Origen ; Valentinus excludes from the things made by the
om# Word, all that were made in the ages which he believes to
have existed before the Word. This is plainly false ; inasmuch
c
VER. 4. ST. JOHN. 15
as the things which he accounts divine are thus excluded from
the " all things," and what he deems wholly corrupt are properly
6 all things !' Aug. The folly of those men is not to be listened Aug. de
to, who think nothing is to be understood here as something, ^Upa
because it is placed at the end of the sentence1 : as if it made 25.
any difference whether it was said, without Him nothing wasgate "
made, or, without Him was made nothing. Origex ; If the Orig.
word' be taken for that which is in each man, inasmuch as it*0^' M*
C» i/»
was implanted in each by the Word, which was in the begin-
ning, then also, we commit nothing without this 'word'
[reason] taking this word ' nothing' in a popular sense. For
the Apostle says that sin was dead without the law, but when
the commandment came, sin revived ; for sin is not imputed
when there is no law. But neither was there sin, when there
was no Word, for our Lord says, If I had not come and spoken jonn 15,
to them, they had not had sin. For every excuse is with-22,
drawn from the sinner, if, with the Word present, and enjoin-
ing what is to be done, he refuses to obey Him. Xor is the
Word to be blamed on this account ; any more than a mas-
ter, whose discipline leaves no excuse open to a delinquent
pupil on the ground of ignorance. All things then were made
by the Word, not only the natural world, but also whatever
is done by those acting without reason. Vulg.
quod
factum
4. In him was life. f3tin.
ipso vita
erat.
Bede; The Evangelist having said that every creature wasBedein
made by the Word, lest perchance any one might think that1 ° '
His will was changeable, as though He willed on a sudden
to make a creature, which from eternity he had not made;
he took care to shew that, though a creature was made in
time, in the Wisdom of the Creator it had been from eternity
arranged what and when He should create. Aug. The Aug. in
passage can be read thus: What was made in Him was life1. \m c#'16'
Therefore the whole universe is life: for what was there not1''-
1 Vulg.
made in Him ? He is the Wisdom of God, as is said, In ps. ioi.
Wisdom hast Thou made them all. All things therefore are
made in Him, even as they are by Him. But, if whatever
was made in Him is life, the earth is life, a stone is life. We
must not interpret it so unsoundly, lest the sect of the
1(> GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Manicheans creep in upon us, and say, that a stoue has life,
and that a wall has life; for they do insanely assert so, and
when reprehended or refuted, appeal as though to Scripture,
and ask, why was it said, That which was made in Him
was life? Read the passage then thus: make the stop after
What was made, and then proceed, In Him teas life. The
earth was made ; but, the earth itself which was made is not
life. In the Wisdom of God however there is spiritually a
certain Reason after which the earth is made. This is Lifef.
A chest in workmanship is not life, a chest in art is, inas-
much as the mind of the workman lives wherein that original
pattern exists. And in this sense the Wisdom of God, by
Which all things are made, containeth in art ' all things
which are made, according to that art.' And therefoie what-
ever is made, is not in itself life, but is life in Him.
Orisren. Origex; It mav also be divided thus: That which was
Hom.il. ?WrtCk -}l fom. au(} then, was life; the sense being, that all
loc. ante things that were made bv Him and in Him, are life in Him,
and are one in Him. They were, that is, in Him; they exist
as the cause, before they exist in themselves as effects. If
thou ask how and in what manner all things which were made
■ by the Word subsist in Him vitally, immutably, causally,
take some examples from the created world. See how that
all things within the arch of the world of sense have their
causes simultaneously and harmoniously subsisting in that
sun which is the greatest luminary of the world: how multi-
tudinous crops of herbs and fruits are contained in single
seeds: how the most complex variety of rules, in the art of
the artificer, and the mind of the director, are a living unit,
how an infinite number of lines coexist in one point. Con-
template these several instances, and thou wilt be able as it
were on the wings of physical science, to penetrate with thy
intellectual eve the secrets of the Word, and as far as is
allowed to a human understanding, to see how all things
f The passage continues thus in the ence by workmanship. The chest is
Tract. " I will explain my meaning, then first in workmanship; but does it
A workman makes a chest. He first cease to be in art ? there it remains
has that chest in his art; for otherwise still, and there it will continue, the
he could not make it. The chest how- pattern of other chests, when the first
ever does not exist in his art, as a visible one has rotted. Mark the dis-
vir-ible chest ; it exists there invisibly, tinction between a chest in art, and a
and is then brought into visible exist- chest in workmanship. A chest," &c.
VER. 4. ST. JOHN. 17
which were made by the Word, live in Him, and were made
in Him. Hilary; Or it can be understood thus. In that he
had said, without Him was not any thing made, one might have
been perplexed, and have asked, Was then any thing made by
another, which yet was not made without Him? if so, then
though nothing is made without, all things are not made by
Him : it being one thing to make, another to be with the maker.
On this account the Evangelist declares what it was which
was not made without Him, viz. what was made in Him.
This then it was wdrieh was not made without Him, viz. what
was made in Him. And that which was made in Him, was
also made by Him. For all things were created in Him and by
Him. Now things were made in Him, because He was bom
God the Creator. And for this reason also things that were
made in Him, were not made without Him, viz. that God, in that
He was born, was life, and He who was life, was not made
life after being born. Nothing then which was made in Him,
was made without Him, because He was life, in Whom they
were made; because God Who was born of God was God,
not after, but in that He was born\ Chrys. Or to give an-Chrys.
other explanation. We will not put the stop at without Him rjv i \u'
was not any thing made, as the heretics do. For they wishing Joan-
to prove the Holy Ghost a creature, read, That which was
made in Him, was life. But this cannot be so understood.
For first, this was not the place for making mention of the
Holy Ghost. But let us suppose it was ; let us take the
passage for the present according to their reading, we shall
see that it leads to a difficulty. For when it is said, That
which was made in Him, was life ; they say the life spoken
of is the Holy Ghost. But this life is also light; for the
Evangelist proceeds, The life was the light of men. Where-
fore according to them, he calls the Holy Ghost the light of
all men. But the Word mentioned above, is what he here
calls consecutively, God, and Life, and Light. Now the
Word icas madejiesh. It follows that the Holy Ghost is in-
carnate, not the Son. Dismissing then this reading, we adopt a
more suitable one, with the following meaning : All things
h i. e. the Son ever being what He Creator, in that He was, and always
is, in that He is, " Living of Living, equally the Creator, and so of nil things,
Perfect of Perfect," not [as man] re- because what He was, He was always,
ceiving subsequently, He was the in that He w;i>.
18 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing
made which was made : there we make a stop, and begin
a fresh sentence : In Him was life. Without Him was not
7iv«to» any tiling made which was made ; i. e. which could be made.
You see how by this short addition, he removes any difficulty
which might follow. For by introducing without Him was
not any thing made, and adding, which icas made, he in-
cludes all things invisible, and excepts the Holy Spirit : for
Zvptoue- the Spirit cannot be made. To the mention of creation,
succeeds that of providence. In Him was life1. As a fountain
which produces vast depths of water, and yet is nothing di-
minished at the fountain head ; so worketh the Only-Begotten.
How great soever His creations be, He Himself is none the
less for them. By the word life here is meant not only
creation, but that providence by which the things created are
preserved. But when you are told that in Him was life, do
John 5, not suppose Him compounded; for, as the Father hath life
in Himself, so hath He given to the So?i to have life in Him-
self. As then you would not call the Father compounded, so
Orig. neither should you the Son. Origen; Or thus: Our Saviour
t.ii.c.12 . . .
13,' ' 'is said to be some things not for Himself, but for others;
others again, both for Himself and others. When it is said
then, That which was made in Him was life; we must
enquire whether the life is for Himself and others, or for
others only; and if for others, for whom ? Now the Life and
the Light are both the same Person : He is the light of men :
He is therefore their life. The Saviour is called Life here,
not to Himself, but to others; whose Light He also is. This
life is inseparable from the Word, from the time it is added
on to it. For Reason or the Word must exist before in the
soul, cleansing it from sin, till it is pure enough to receive the
life, which is thus ingrafted or inborn in every one who
renders himself fit to receive the Word of God. Hence ob-
serve, that though the Word itself in the beginning was not
made, the Beginning never having been without the Word;
yet the life of men was not alwavs in the Word. This life
of men was made, in that It was the light of men; and
1 tov Tto) >r?is vgovoiu; Xo'yov. Life, he not be incredulous as to so many things
says. The Horn, continues : Life, the having come from Him. For as,
Evangelist says, in order that we might &c.
VER. 4. ST. JOHN. 19
this light of men could not be before man was; the light of
men being understood relatively to men k. And therefore he
says, That which was made in the Word was life ; not That
which was in the Word was life. Some copies read, not
amiss, " That which was made, in Him is life." If we un-
derstand the life in the Word, to be He who says below,
' I am the life,' we shall confess that none who believe not Johnii,
in Christ live, and that all who live not in God, are dead.
And the life was the light of men.
Theophyl. He had said, In him was life, that you might Theoph.
not suppose that the Word was without life. Now he shews m
that that life is spiritual, and the light of all reasonable
creatures. And the life was the light of men: i. e. not
sensible, but intellectual light, illuminating the very soul.
Aug. Life of itself gives illumination to men, but to cattle Aug. in
not: for they have not rational souls, by which to discern i G\ ]_g.
wisdom: whereas man, being made in the image of God, has
a rational soul, by which he can discern wisdom. Hence that
life, by which all things are made, is light, not however of all
animals whatsoever, but of men. Theophyl. He saith not,
the Light of the Jews only, but of all men : for all of us, in so
far as we have received intellect and reason, from that Word
which created us, are said to be illuminated by Him. For
the reason which is given to us, and which constitutes us the
reasonable beings we are, is a light directing us what to do,
and what not to do. Origen ; We must not omit to notice, Orig.
that he puts the life before the light of men. For it would11011000
be a contradiction to suppose a being without life to be
illuminated: as if life were an addition to illumination. But torn. ii.
to proceed: if the life was the light of men, meaning men
only, Christ is the light and the life of men only ; an
heretical supposition. It does not follow then, when a thing is
predicated of any, that it is predicated of those only ; for of
God it is written, that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob ; and yet He is not the God of those fathers only. In
the same way, the light of men is not excluded from being
the light of others as well. Some moreover contend fromc. 17.
k rov tyuroi ruv dvfycoTTuv xccrx T>jv "X^bi ccvSouiroi; <r%ifftv voouftivou.
e 2
20 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
Gen. I, Genesis, Let us make man after our image, that man means
cyfi
whatever is made after the image and similitude of God. If
so, the light of men is the light of any rational creature what-
ever.
5. And the light shineth in darkness.
Aug. tr. Aug. Whereas that life is the light of men, but foolish
' hearts cannot receive that light, being so incumbered with
sins that they cannot see it; for this cause lest any should
think there is no light near them, because they cannot see it,
he continues: And the light shineth in darkness, and the
darkness comprehended it not. For suppose a blind man
standing in the sun, the sun is present to him, but he is
absent from the sun. In like manner every fool is blind, and
wisdom is present to him ; but, though present, absent from
his sight, forasmuch as sight is gone : the truth being, not
that she is absent from him, but that he is absent from her.
Orig. in Origen; This kind of darkness however is not in men by
ii. c. 14. nature, according to the text in the Ephesians, Ye were some-
EpQ- 5> time darkness, hut now are ye light in the Lord1. Origen;
Orig. Or thus, The light shineth in the darkness of faithful souls,
Horn. ii. -
in div. l Nicolai, for this passage which sometime da?'/cness, but now light in the
loc. is incorrectly given, substitutes the Lord; although we he in some degree
following. (Origen, Tom. ii. c. 13. holy and spiritual. "Whosoever was
in Job.) Now if the life is one with sometime darkness, did, as Paul, be-
the light of men, none who in darkness come darkness, although being capable
lives, and none who lives is in dark- ani framed such as to be made light in
ness; since every one who lives is also the Lord. And again, The light of
in light, and conversely, whoever is in men is our Lord Jesus Christ, Who
light, also lives. Again, as in thus dis- manifested Himself in human nature to
coursing on contra' ies, we may under- every rational and intelligent creature,
stand the contraries to them which are and opened to the hearts of the faithful
omitted, and life, and thelight of men, are the mysteries of His Divinity, in Which
the subjects of our discourse; and the He is equal to the Father; according
contrary of life is death, and the contrary to the Apostle's saying, (Eph. 5, 8.)
of the light of men is the darkness of men: Ye were sometime darkness, but now
we may perceive, that whoever is in are ye light in the Lord. Hence the
darkness, is also in death, and he who light shineth in darkness, because the
does the works of death, is certainly in whole human race, not by nature but
darkness ; whereas he who does the as the desert of original sin, was in the
things which are of the light, that is, darkness of ignorance of the truth; but
he whose works shine before men, and after His Birth of the Virgin, Christ
who is mindful of God, is not in death, shineth in the hearts of those who
as we read in Ps. vi. He is not in discern Him. But because there are
death who remembereth thee. [Vulg. some who still abide in the most pro-
Quoniam non est in moite qui memor found darkness of impiety and deceit,
sit tui. Eng. T. In death no man re- the Evangelist adds, And the darkness
membereth thee.] Put whether men's comprehended it not ; as though he
darkness and death are so by nature or would say, The Light, &c.
not, is another consideration. We icerr
VER. 5. ST. JOHN. '21
beginning from faith, and drawing onwards to hope ; but the
deceit and ignorance of undisciplined souls did not com-
prehend the light of the Word of God shining in the flesh.
That however is an ethical meaning. The metaphysical
signification of the words is as follows. Human nature, even
though it sinned not, could not shine by its own strength
simply; for it is not naturally light, but only a recipient
of it; it is capable of containing wisdom, but is not wisdom
itself. As the air, of itself, shineth not, but is called by the
name of darkness, even so is our nature, considered in itself,
a dark substance, which however admits of and is made par-
taker of the light of wisdom. And as when the air receives
the sun's rays, it is not said to shine of itself, but the sun's
radiance to be apparent in it; so the reasonable part of our
nature, while possessing the presence of the Word of God,
does not of itself understand God, and intellectual things, but
by means of the divine light implanted in it. Thus, The
light shineth in darkness: for the Word of God, the life and
the light of men, ceaseth not to shine in our nature; though
regarded in itself, that nature is without form and darkness.
And forasmuch as pure light cannot be comprehended by any
creature, hence the text: The darkness comprehended it not.
Chrys. Or thus: throughout the whole foregoing passage he Chrys.
had been speaking of creation ; then he mentions the spiritual ^oxn' J*
1 ' • C • O*
benefits which the Word brought with it : and the life was the
light of men. He saitli not, the light of Jews, but of all men
without exception ; for not the Jews only, but the Gentiles
also have come to this knowledge. The Angels he
omits, for he is speaking of human nature, to whom the
Word came bringing glad tidings. Origex ; But they ask, Orig.
why is not the Word Itself called the light of men, instead of jn j'0Si^
the life which is in the Word ? We reply, that the life here c- 19-
spoken of is not that which rational and irrational animals have
in common, but that which is annexed to the Word which is
within us through participation of the primaeval Word. For we
must distinguish the external and false life, from the desirable
and true. We are first made partakers of life : and this life with
some is light potentially only, not in act; with those, viz. who
are not eager to search out the things which appertain to
knowledge : with others it is actual light, those who, as the
22 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
l Cor. Apostle saith, covet earnestly the best gifts, that is to say,
c. 14. tne word of wisdom. (If* the life and the light of men are the
same, whoso is in darkness is proved not to live, and none
Chrys. who liveth abideth in darkness. Chrys1. Life having come
XT
[iv.]c.3l to us, the empire of death is dissolved; a light having shone
upon us, there is darkness no longer : but there remaineth
ever a life which death, a light which darkness cannot over-
come. Whence he continues, And the light shineth in dark-
ness : by darkness meaning death and error, for sensible
light does not shine in darkness, but darkness must be re-
moved first; whereas the preaching of Christ shone forth
amidst the reign of error, and caused it to disappear, and
Christ by dying changed death into life, so overcoming it,
that, those who were already in its grasp, were brought back
again. Forasmuch then as neither death nor error hath
overcome his light, which is every where conspicuous,
shining forth by its own strength ; therefore he adds, And
Orig. the darkness comprehended it notm. Origen; As the light
c 20. °f men is a word expressing two spiritual things, so is dark-
ness also. To one who possesses the light, we attribute both
the doing the deeds of the light, and also true understanding,
inasmuch as he is illuminated by the light of knowledge :
and, on the other hand, the term darkness we apply both to
unlawful acts, and also to that knowledge, which seems such,
but is not. Now as the Father is light, and in Him is no
darkness at all, so is the Saviour also. Yet, inasmuch as he
underwent the similitude of our sinful flesh, it is not incor-
rectly said of Him, that in Him there was some darkness;
for He took our darkness upon Himself, in order that He
might dissipate it. This Light therefore, which was made the
life of man, shines in the darkness of our hearts, when the
prince of this darkness wars with the human race. This
Light the darkness persecuted, as is clear from what our
Saviour and His children suffer; the darkness fighting against
k Nicolai omits this clause, as not that life which is received by creation,
being Origen's, nor fitting in with but that perpetual and immortal life
what precedes and substitutes, "which which is prepared for us by the Provi-
is afterwards followed by the word of denceofGod." Life having, &c.
knowledge, &c." m i. e. could not get hold of it; for
1 Nicolai inserts from S. Chrys., in Chrysostom adds, it is too strong to be
order to make the connection clear, contended with.
" The word ' life' means here not only
VER. 6, 7, 8. ST. JOHN. 23
the children of light. But, forasmuch as God takes up the
cause, they do not prevail; nor do they apprehend the light, for
they are either of too slow a nature to overtake the light's quick
course, or, waiting for it to come up to them, they are put to
flight at its approach. We should bear in mind, however,
that darkness is not alwavs used in a bad sense, but
sometimes in a good, as in Psalm xvii. He made darkness His Ps. 18,
. . . 11.
secret place : the things of God being unknown and incompre-
hensible. This darkness then I will call praiseworthy, since
it tends toward light, and lays hold on it : for, though it
were darkness before, while it was not known, yet it is
turned to light and knowledge in him who has learned.
Aug. A certain Platonist once said, that the beginning of thisAug.de
Gospel ought to be copied in letters of gold, and placed x>ei l'.x.
in the most conspicuous place in every church. Bede ; c; 29-
The other Evangelists describe Christ as born in time ; Bede,
John witnesseth that He was in the beginning, saying, ln loc'
In the beginning icas the Word. The others describe His
sudden appearance among men ; he witnesseth that He was
ever with God, saying, And the Word was with God. The
others prove Him very man ; he very God, saying, And the
Word teas God. The others exhibit Him as man conversing
with men for a season ; he pronounces Him God abiding with
God in the beginning, saying, The Same icas in the beginning
with God. The others relate the great deeds which He did
amongst men ; he that God the Father made every creature
through Him, saying, All things icere made by Him, and
without Him was not any thing made.
6. There was a man sent from God, whose name
was John.
7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of
the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear
witness of that Light.
Aug. What is said above, refers to the Divinity of Christ. Aug.
He came to us in the form of man, but man in such sense, as Tr; "'
' c. 2.
that the Godhead was concealed within Him. And therefore
OJ GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
there was sent before a great man, to declare by his witness
that He was more than man. And who was this? He was
a man. Tiieophyl. Not an Angel, as many have held.
Aug. The Evangelist here refutes such a notion. Aug. And how
Tr* "' could he declare the truth concerning God, unless he were
Chrys. sent from God. Chrys. After this esteem nothing that he
Hom.vi. s ag human; for he speaketh not his own, but his that
[V.J c. 1 . J
sent him. And therefore the Prophet calls him a messenger,
Mai. 3, I send My messenger, for it is the excellence of a messenger,
*' to say nothing of his own. But the expression, was sent, does
Isai. o not mean his entrance into life, but to his office. As Esaias was
L sent on his commission, not from any place out of the world,
but from where he saw the Lord sitting upon His high and
lofty throne ; in like manner John was sent from the desert
John l, t0 baptize ; for he says, He that sent me to baptize with water,
the same said unto me, Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which
Aug. baptizelh with the Holy Ghost, Aug. What was he called ?
r* u* ichosename was John? Alcuin. That is, the grace of God, or
one in whom is grace, who by his testimony first made
known to the world the grace of the New Testament, that is,
Christ. Or John may be taken to mean, to whom it is given :
because that through the grace of God, to him it was given,
not only to herald, but also to baptize the King of kings.
Aug. Aug. Wherefore came he ? The same came for a witness, to
c. 6. bear witness of the Light. Origen ; Some try to undo the
0r}8- testimonies of the Prophets to Christ, by saying that the Son
28. of God had no need of such witnesses; the wholesome words
which He uttered and His miraculous acts being sufficient to
produce belief; just as Moses deserved belief for his speech
and goodness, and wanted no previous witnesses. To this
we may reply, that, where there are a number of reasons to
make people believe, persons are often impressed by one
kind of proof, and not by another, and God, Who for the
sake of all men became man, can give them many reasons
for belief in Him. And with respect to the doctrine of
the Incarnation, certain it is that some have been forced
by the Prophetical writings into an admiration of Christ
by the fact of so many prophets having, before His advent,
fixed the place of His nativity ; and by other proofs of the
VKR. 6', 7, 8. ST. JOHN. 25
same kind. It is to be remembered too, that, though the
display of miraculous powers might stimulate the faith of
those who lived in the same age wilh Christ, they might, in
the lapse of time, fail to do so ; as some of them might even get
to be regarded as fabulous. Prophecy and miracles together
are more convincing than simply past miracles by themselves.
We must recollect too that men receive honour themselves
from the witness which they bear to God. He deprives the
Prophetical choir of immeasurable honour, whoever denies
that it was their office to bear witness to Christ. John when
he comes to bear witness to the light, follows in the train
of those who went before him. Chrys. Not because the light Chrys.
wanted the testimony, but for the reason which John him- vi.°rv'.]
self gives, viz. that all might believe on Him. For as HeiaJon-
put on flesh to save all men from death ; so He sent before Him
a human preacher, that the sound of a voice like their own,
might the readier draw men to Him. Bede ; He saith not, Bed. in
1 or*
that all men should believe in him ; for, cursed be the man Jer ^
that trusteth in man ; but, that all men through him might5-
believe; i.e. by his testimony believe in the Light. The-
ophyl. Though some however might not believe, he is not
accountable for them. When a man shuts himself up in a
dark room, so as to receive no light from the sun's rays, he is
the cause of the deprivation, not the sun. In like manner John
was sent, that all men might believe ; but if no such result
followed, he is not the cause of the failure. Chrys. Foras- Chrys.
much however as with us, the one who witnesses, is com- jn j^/
monly a more important, a more trustworthy person, than the c- *•
one to whom he bears witness, to do away with any such
notion in the present case the Evangelist proceeds ; He was
not that Light, but teas sent to bear witness of that Light.
If this were not his intention, in repeating the words, to bear
witness of the Light, the addition would be superfluous, and
rather a verbal repetition, than the explanation of a truth.
Theophyl. But it will be said, that we do not allow John
or any of the saints to be or ever to have been light. The
difference is this: If we call any of the saints light, we put
light without the article. So if asked whether John is light,
without the article, thou niavest allow without hesitation that
be is : if with the article, thou allow it not. For he is not
26 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
very, original, light, but is only called so, on account of his
partaking of the light, which cometh from the true Light.
9. That was the true Light which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world.
Aug. Aug. What Light it is to which John bears witness, he
Tr ifn snews himself, saying, That was the true Light. Chrys. Or
Chr}-s. thus; Having said above that John had come, and was sent,
in Joan, to bear witness of the Light, lest any from the recent coming
yii. [vi.] 0f tne witness, should infer the same of Him who is witnessed
I m
to, the Evangelist takes us back to that existence which is
Aug. beyond all beginning, saying, That ivas the true Light. Aug.
inJoh'.§! [Wherefore is there added, true Y Because man enlightened
7- is called light, but the true Light is that which lightens. For
our eyes are called lights, and yet, without a lamp at night,
or the sun by day, these lights are open to no purpose.
Wherefore he adds : which lighteneth every man : but if
every man, then John himself. He Himself then enlightened
the person, by whom He wished Himself to be pointed out.
And just as we may often, from the reflexion of the sun's rays
on some object, know the sun to be risen, though we cannot
look at the sun itself; as even feeble eyes can look at an
illuminated wall, or some object of that kind : even so, those
to whom Christ came, being too weak to behold Him, He
threw His rays upon John; John confessed the illumination,
and so the Illuminator Himself was discovered. It is said,
that cometh into the world. Had man not departed from
Him, he had not had to be enlightened ; but therefore is he
to be here enlightened, because he departed thence, when
Theoph. he might have been enlightened. Theophyl. Let the Mani-
m loc. cjiean blush, who pronounces us the creatures of a dark and
malignant creator: for we should never be enlightened, were
Chrys. we not the children of the true Light. Chrys. Where are those
vii?™. 2. t0°? wh° deny Him to be very God ? We see here that He
is called very Light. But if He lighteneth every man that
cometh into the world, how is it that so many have gone on
without light? For all have not known the worship of
Christ. The answer is : He only enlighteneth every man, so
far as pertains to Him. If men shut their eyes, and will not
VER. 10. ST. JOHN 27
receive the rays of this light, their darkness arises not from
the fault of the light, but from their own wickedness, inas-
much as they voluntarily deprive themselves of the gift of
grace. For grace is poured out upon all ; and they, who
will not enjoy the gift, may impute it to their own blindness.
Aug. Or the words, lighteneth every man, may be under- Aug.
stood to mean, not that there is no one who is not enlightened, Mer#
but that no one is enlightened except by Him. Bede ; In-et Re-
miss.
eluding both natural and divine wisdom; for as no one cani.c.xxv.
exist of himself, so no one can be wise of himself. ORiGEN;orig.
Or thus : We must not understand the words, lighteneth every ?0™^ 2>
man that cometh into the world, of the growth from hidden loe.
seeds to organized bodies, but of the entrance into the invisi-
ble world, by the spiritual regeneration and grace, which is
given in Baptism. Those then the true Light lighteneth,
who come into the world of goodness, not those who rush
into the world of sin. Theophyl. Or thus: The intellect Theoph.
which is given in us for our direction, and which is called111
natural reason, is said here to be a light given us by God. But
some by the ill use of their reason have darkened themselves.
10. He was in the world, and the world was made
by him, and the world knew him not.
Aug. The Light which lighteneth every man that cometh Aug.
into the world, came here in the flesh; because while HeJ^ITii
was here in His Divinity alone, the foolish, blind, and un-c. 8.
righteous could not discern Him ; those of whom it is said
above, The darkness comprehended it not. Hence the text ;
He was in the ivorld. Origen ; For as, when a person Orig.
leaves off speaking, his voice ceases to be, and vanishes; sor^0™^
if the Heavenly Father should cease to speak His Word, theloc.
effect of that Word, i. e. the universe which is created in the
Word, shall cease to exist. Aug. You must not suppose, Aug.
however, that He was in the world in the same sense in which c#rio.'
the earth, cattle, men, are in the world ; but in the sense in
which an artificer controls his own work ; whence the text,
And the world was made by Him. Nor again did He make
it after the manner of an artificer ; for whereas an artificer is
*28 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
external to what he fabricates, God pervades the world,
carrying on the work of creation in every part, and never
absent from any part : by the presence of His Majesty He
both makes and controls what is made. Thus He was in the
Chrys. world, as He by Whom the world was made. Chrys. And
Horn. .
in Joan, again, because He was in the world, but not coeval with the
* • •
vlll,c'1, world, for this cause he introduced the words, and the world
was made by Him: thus taking you back again to the eternal
existence of the Only-Begotten. For when we are told that
the whole of creation was made by Him, we must be very
dull not to acknowledge that the Maker existed before the
Theoph.work. Theophyl. Here he overthrows at once the insane
notion of the Manichaean0, who says that the world is the work
of a malignant creature, and the opinion of the /Vrian, that
Aug. the Son of God is a creature. Aug. But what meaneth this,
Joan^ The world teas made by Him ? The earth, sky, and sea, and
c 11. all that are therein, are called the world. But in another
sense, the lovers of the world are called the world, of whom
he says, And the world knew Him not. For did the sky, or
Angels, not know their Creator, Whom the very devils con-
fess, Whom the whole universe has borne witness to ? Who
then did not know Him ? Those who, from their love of the
world, are called the world ; for such live in heart in the
world, while those who do not love it, have their body in the
Phil. 3, world, but their heart in heaven ; as saith the Apostle, our
20
conversation is in heaven. By their love of the world, such
men merit being called by the name of the place where they
live. And just as in speaking of a bad house, or good house,
we do not mean praise or blame to the walls, but to the
inhabitants ; so when we talk of the world, we mean those
Chrys. wno live there in the love of it. Chrys. But they who were
viii. c.8. the friends of God, knew Him even before His presence in the
56, body ; whence Christ saith below, Your father Abraham re-
joiced to see My day. When the Gentiles then interrupt us with
the question, Why has He come in these last times to work
our salvation, having neglected us so long? we reply, that
He was in the nor Id before, superintending what He had
made, and was known to all who were worthy of Him; and
that, if the world knew Him not, those of whom the world
° So Theoph. Other copies have uof Marcion."'
VER. 11 13. ST. JOHN. 29
was not worthy knew Him. The reason follows, why the
world knew Him not. The Evangelist calls those men the
world, who are tied to the world, and savour of worldly things ;
for there is nothing that disturbs the mind so much, as this
melting with the love of present things.
11. He came unto his own, and his own received
him not.
12. But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name :
13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Chrys. When He said that the world knew Him not, he Chrys.
referred to the times of the old dispensation, but what follows joan.'
has reference to the time of his preaching; He came tmtoix' *■
his own. Aug. Because all things were made by Him. Theo- Aug.
phyl. By his own, understand either the world, or Judaea, jr J°an*
which He had chosen for His inheritance. Chrys. He came Chrys.
then unto His own, not for His own good, but for the good pm*10
of others. But whence did He Who fills all things, and is
every where present, come ? He came out of condescension
to us, though in reality He had been in the world all along.
But the world not seeing Him, because it knew Him not, He
deigned to put on flesh. And this manifestation and conde-
scension is called His advent. But the merciful God so con-
trives His dispensations, that we may shine forth in propor-
tion to our goodness, and therefore He will not compel, but
invites men, by persuasion and kindness, to come of their own
accord : and so, when He came, some received Him, and
others received Him not. He desires not an unwilling and
forced service; for no one who comes unwillingly devotes
himself wholly to Him. Whence what follows, And his own
received him not. He here calls the Jews His own, as being Hom.ix.
his peculiar people ; as indeed are all men in some sense, "-vin--l '
being made by Him. And as above, to the shame of our
common nature, he said, that the world which was made by
1 lim, knew not its Maker : so here again, indignant at the in-
30 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
gratitude of the Jews, he brings a heavier charge, viz. that His
Aug.Tr. own received Him not, Aug. But if none at all received,
12# ' none will be saved. For no one will be saved, but he who
received Christ at His coming ; and therefore he adds, As
Chrys. many as received Him. Chrys. Whether they be bond or
in Joan.free> Greek or Barbarian, wise or unwise, women or men, the
x. [ix.] young or the aged, all are made meet for the honour, which
the Evangelist now proceeds to mention. To them gave He
Aug. power to become the sons of God. Aug. O amazing goodness !
'He was born the Only Son, yet would not remain so; but
grudged not to admit joint heirs to His inheritance. Nor was
Chrys. this narrowed by many partaking of it. Chrys. He saith not
x Tix.l ^nat ^e mac^e them the sons of God, but gave them power to
2. become the sons of God : shewing that there is need of
much care, to preserve the image, which is formed by our
adoption in Baptism, untarnished: and shewing at the same
time also that no one can take this power from us, except we
rob ourselves of it. Now, if the delegates of worldly govern-
ments have often nearly as much power as those governments
themselves, much more is this the case with us, who derive
our dignity from God. But at the same time the Evangelist
, wishes to shew that this grace comes to us of our own will
and endeavour : that, in short, the operation of grace being
supposed, it is in the power of our free will to make us the
sons of God. Theopkyl. Or the meaning is, that the most
perfect sonship will only be attained at the resurrection, as
Rom. 8, saith the Apostle, Waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body. He therefore gave us the power to
become the sons of God, i. e. the power of obtaining this
Chrys. grace at some future time. Chrys. And because in the
2 om'x' matter of these ineffable benefits, the giving of grace belongs
to God, but the extending of faith to man, He subjoins,
even to those ivho believe on his name. Why then declarest
thou not, John, the punishment of those who received Him
not? Is it because there is no greater punishment than that,
when the power of becoming the sons of God is offered to
men, they should not become such, but voluntarily deprive
themselves of the dignity ? But besides this, inextinguishable
Aug.Tr. fire awaits all such, as will appear clearly farther on. Aug.
"* 14, To be made then the sons of God, and brothers of Christ,
VER. 14. ST. JOHN. 31
they must of course be born; for if they are not born, how-
can they be sons? Now* the sons of men are born of flesh
and blood, and the will of man, and the embrace of wedlock;
but how these are born, the next words declare: Not of
bloods1; that is, the male's and the female's. Bloods is not 'ig «<>«••
correct Latin, but as it is plural in the Greek, the translator ruv
preferred to put it so, though it be not strictly grammatical,
at the same time explaining the word in order not to offend
the weakness of one's hearers. Bede ; It should be understood
that in holy Scripture, blood in the plural number, has the
signification of sin : thus in the Psalms, Deliver me from blood- Ps- 51>
. 14.
guiltiness*. Aug. In that which follows, Nor of the will of Aug.
the flesh, nor of the will of man, the flesh is put for theTr'11,14'
female; because, when she was made out of the rib, Adam
said, This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. Gen. 2,
The flesh therefore is put for the wife, as the spirit some-
times is for the husband ; because that the one ought to
govern, the other to obey. For what is there worse than an
house, where the woman hath rule over the man ? But these
that we speak of are born neither of the will of the flesh,
nor the will of man, but of God. Bede; The carnal birth
of men derives its origin from the embrace of wedlock, but
the spiritual is dispensed by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Chrys. The Evangelist makes this declaration, that being Chrys.
taught the vileness and inferiority of our former birth, which r^*?^*'
is through blood, and the will of the flesh, and understanding
the loftiness and nobleness of the second, which is through
grace, we might hence receive great knowledge, worthy of
being bestowed by him who begat us, and after this shew
forth much zeal,
14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
Aug. Having said, Born of God; to prevent surprise and Aug.
trepidation at so great, so apparently incredible a grace,
as that men should be born of God; to assure us, he says,
And the Word was made flesh. Why marvellest thou then
that men are born of God ? Know that God Himself
was born of man. Chrys. Or thus, After saying that they SjJJ8,
P Plur. in the Valg. as in the Heh. ' ' «- *J
32 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
were born of God, who received Him, he sets forth the cause
of this honour, viz. the Word being made flesh, God's own
Son was made the son of man, that he might make the sons
of men the sons of God. Now when thou nearest that
the Word was made fleshy be not disturbed, for He did not
change His substance into flesh, which it were indeed
impious to suppose; but remaining what He was, took upon
Him the form of a servant. But as there are some who say,
that the whole of the incarnation was only in appearance,
to refute such a blasphemy, he used the expression, was
made, meaning to represent not a conversion of substance,
but an assumption of real flesh. But if they say, God is
omnipotent; why then could He not be changed into flesh?
we reply, that a change from an unchangeable nature is
Aug. a contradiction. Aug. As our wordq becomes the bodilv
xv. c 20' voice, by its assumption of that voice, as a means of developing
(xi-) itself externally; so the Word of God was made flesh, by
assuming flesh, as a means of manifesting Itself to the world.
And as our word is made voice, yet is not turned into voice ;
so the Word of God was made flesh, but never turned into
flesh. It is by assuming another nature, not by consuming
themselves in it, that our word is made voice, and the Word,
P- iii- flesh. Ex Gestis Conc. Eph. The discourse which we utter,
Theod. which we use in conversation with each other, is incorporeal,
An£Jr# imperceptible, impalpable ; but clothed in letters and cha-
Dom. racters, it becomes material, perceptible, tangible. So too the
Word of God, which was naturally invisible, becomes visible,
and that comes before us in tangible form, which was by nature
in Joan, incorporeal. Alcuix. When we think how the incorporeal
* soul is joined to the body, so as that of two is made one
man, we too shall the more easilv receive the notion of the
incorporeal Divine substance being joined to the soul in the
body, in unity of person ; so as that the Word is not turned
into flesh, nor the flesh into the Word; just as the soul is
not turned into body, nor the body into soul.
Theoph. Theophyl. Apollinarius of Laodicea raised a heresy upon
this text; saying, that Christ had flesh only, not a rational
Aug. soul; in the place of which His divinity directed and con-
Serm. trolled His body. Aug. If men are disturbed however by its
Al_ian9' } H See above, p. 1—3.
VER. 13. ST. JOHN. 33
being said that the Word was made Jlesh , without mention
of a soul ; let them know that the flesh is put for the whole
man, the part for the whole, by a figure of speech ; as
in the Psalms, Unto thee shall all Jlesh come; and again Ps.65,2.
in Romans, By the deeds of the law there shall no jlesh be Ron. 3,
justified. In the same sense it is said here that the Word
was made flesh ; meaning that the Word was made man.
Theophyl. The Evangelist intends by making mention of Theoph.
the flesh, to shew the unspeakable condescension of God, m oc'
and lead us to admire His compassion, in assuming for our
salvation, what was so opposite and incongenial to His nature,
as the flesh : for the soul has some propinquity to God. If
the Word, however, was made flesh, and assumed not at the
same time a human soul, our souls, it would follow, would not
be yet restored : for what He did not assume, He could not
sanctify. What a mockery then, when the soul first sinned,
to assume and sanctify the flesh only, leaving the weakest part
untouched ! This text overthrows Nestorius, who asserted
that it was not the very Word, even God, Who the Self-same
was made man, being conceived of the sacred blood of the
Virgin : but that the Virgin brought forth a man endowed
with every kind of virtue, and that the Word of God was united
to him : thus making out two sons, one born of the Virgin,
i. e. man, the other born of God, that is, the Son of God,
united to that man by grace, and relation, and lover. In
opposition to him the Evangelist declares, that the very
Word was made Man, not that the Word fixing upon a
righteous man united Himself to him. Cyril; The Word?/ril^d
Nes.£p.
uniting to Himself a body of flesh animated with a rational 8.
soul, substantially, was ineffably and incomprehensibly made
Man, and called the Son of man, and that not according to
the will only, or good-pleasure, nor again by the assumption
of the Person alone. The natures are different indeed which
are brought into true union, but He Who is of both,
Christ the Son, is One ; the difference of the natures, on the
r The union of the two Natures in of the Manhood, as united externally.
our Lord, Kara, a^ttrtv, or ff%tnxh ffuvd- hy dignity, or likeness of honour, or
<pua, in the Nestorian heresy, stands unity of will, or good-pleasure, or love,
opposed to the belief of their " natural" or affection, or power, instead of being
ivutri; <pv<T4XYi in one Person, ffxiois is used u taken into God." See Petav. de
for " relation, cognateness, affection, Incarn. iii. 3.
conjunction," to describe a " nearness"
1)
34 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
other hand, not being destroyed in consequence of this coa-
Theoph.lition. Theophyl. From the text, The Word was made Jlesh,
'we learn this farther, that the Word Itself is man, and being
the Son of God was made the Son of a woman, who is rightly
called the Mother of God, as having given birth to God in the
Hil. x. flesh. Hilary; Some, however, who think God the Onlv-Be-
cle Trin.
c. 21,22. gotten, God the Word, Who was in the beginning withGod,not
to be God substantially, but a Word sent forth, the Son being
to God the Father, what a word is to one who utters it, these
men, in order to disprove that the Word, being substantially
God, and abiding in the form of God, was born the Man Christ,
argue subtilly, that, whereas that Man (they say) derived His
life rather from human origin than from the mystery of a
spiritual conception, God the Word did not make Himself
Man of the womb of the Virgin ; but that the Word of God
was in Jesus, as the spirit of prophecy in the Prophets. And
they are accustomed to charge us with holding, that Christ
was born a Man, not r of our body and soul; whereas we
preach the Word made flesh, and after our likeness born
Man, so that He Who is truly Son of God, was truly born
Son of man ; and that, as by His own act He took upon Him
. a body of the Virgin, so of Himself He took a soul also, which
in no case is derived from man by mere parental origin.
And seeing He, The Self-same, is the Son of man, how
absurd were it, besides the Son of God, Who is the Word,
to make Him another person besides, a sort of prophet, in-
spired by the Word of God ; whereas our Lord Jesus Christ
Chrvs. is both the Son of God, and the Son of man. Chrys. Lest
in Joan.n'om *& being said, however, that the Word was made Jlesh,
xi. [x.] yOU should infer improperly a change of His incorruptible
nature, he subjoins, And dwelt among us. For that which
inhabits is not the same, but different from the habitation :
different, 1 say, in nature ; though as to union and conjunction,
God the Word and the flesh are one, without confusion or
extinction of substance. Alculn ; Or, dwelt among us,
means, lived amongst men.
14. And we saw his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
s non is omitted in some Mas ; but throughout guards against Sabellianism.
S. Hilary in writing against the Arians, Ben.
VER. 14. ST. JOHN. 35
Chrys. Having said that we are made the sons of God, Chrys.
and in no other way than because the Word was made flesh ; xiiTxi -i
he mentions another gift, And we saw His glory. Which I.
glory we should not have seen, had He not, by His alliance
with humanity, become visible to us. For if they could not
endure to look on the glorified face of Moses, but there
was need of a veil, how could soiled and earthly creatures,
like ourselves, have borne the sight of undisguised Divinity,
which is not vouchsafed even to the higher powers themselves.
Aug. Or thus ; in that the Word was made flesh and dwelt Aug. in
among us, His birth became a kind of ointment to anoint the Xr?ii.
eyes of our heart, that we might through His humanity discern c« 16-
His majesty; and therefore it follows, And we saw His glory.
No one could see His glory, who was not healed by the
humility of the flesh. For there had flown upon man's eye
as it were dust from the earth : the eye had been diseased,
and earth was sent to heal it again ; the flesh had blinded
thee, the flesh restores thee. The soul by consenting to
carnal affections had become carnal; hence the eye of the mind
had been blinded : then the physician made for thee oint-
ment. He came in such wise, as that by the flesh He
destroyed the corruption of the flesh. And thus the Word
was made flesh, that thou mightest be able to say, We saw
His glory. Chrys. He subjoins, As of the Only -Begotten Chrys.
of the Father: for many prophets, as Moses, Elijah, and others, jnXkn.
workers of miracles, had been glorified, and Angels also who *"•[>*•]
appeared unto men, shining with the brightness belong-
ing to their nature; Cherubim and Seraphim too, who were
seen in glorious array by the prophets. But the Evangelist
withdrawing our minds from these, and raising them above
all nature, and every preeminence of fellow servants, leads us
up to the summit Himself; as if he said, Not of prophet, or of
any other man, or of Angel, or Archangel, or any of the
higher powers, is the glory which we beheld ; but as that of
the very Lord, very King, very and true Only-Begotten Son.
Greg. In Scripture language as, and as it were, are some- Greg.
times put not for likeness but reality ; whence the expression, MoVril.
As of the Only-Begotten of the Father. Chrys. As if hec-6-(120
said : We saw His glory, such as it was becoming and proper Horn.
for the Only-Begotten and true Son to have. We have ;l nm.[xi.J
d 2
36 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
form of speech, like it, derived from our seeing kings always
splendidly robed. When the dignity of a man's carriage is,
beyond description, we say, hi short, he went as a king.
So too John says, We saw His glory, the glory as of the Only
Begotten of the Father. For Angels, when they appeared,
did every thing as servants who had a Lord, but He as
the Lord appearing in humble form. Yet did all creatures
recognise their Lord, the star calling the Magi, the Angels
the shepherds, the child leaping in the womb acknowledged
Him: yea the Father bore witness to Him from heaven, and
the Paraclete descending upon Him : and the very universe
itself shouted louder than any trumpet, that the King of
heaven had come. For devils fled, diseases were healed, the
graves gave up the dead, and souls were brought out of
wickedness, to the utmost height of virtue. What shall
one say of the wisdom of precepts, of the virtue of heavenly
laws, of the excellent institution of the angelical life ?
Origen. Origen ; Full of grace and truth. Of this the meaning is two-
fold. For it may be understood of the Humanitv, and the
Divinity of the Incarnate Word, so that the fulness of grace
has reference to the Humanity, according to which Christ is
the Head of the Church, and the first-born of every creature:
for the greatest and original example of grace, by which
man, with no preceding merits, is made God, is manifested
primarily in Him. The fulness of the grace of Christ may
also be understood of the Holy Spirit, whose sevenfold
Is. 11,2. operation filled Christ's Humanity. The fulness of truth
applies to the Divinity But if you had rather under-
stand the fulness of grace and truth of the New Testament,
you may with propriety pronounce the fulness of the grace of
the New Testament to be given by Christ, and the truth of
Theoph. the legal types to have been fulfilled in Him. Theophyl.
Or, full of' grace, inasmuch as His word was gracious, as saith
Ps.45,3. David, Full cf grace are thy lips; and truth, because what
Moses and the Prophets spoke or did in figure, Christ did in
reality.
15. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying,
This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after
me is preferred before me, for lie was before me.
VEfi. 15. ST. JOHN. 37
Alcuin ; He had said before that there was a man sent to
bear witness ; now he gives definitely the forerunner's own
testimony, which plainly declared the excellence of His
Human Nature and the Eternity of His Godhead. John
bare witness of Him. Chiiys. Or he introduces this, asChrys.
if to say, Do not suppose that we bear witness to this outin Jo'an
of gratitude, because we were with Him a long time, andxi"-
partook of His table ; for John who had never seen Him before, 2 3.
nor tarried with Him, bare witness to Him. The Evangelist
repeats John's testimony many times here and there, because
he was held in such admiration bv the Jews. Other Evan-
gelists refer to the old prophets, and say, This teas done that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. But
he introduces a loftier, and later witness, not intending to
make the servant vouch for the master, but only condescending
to the weakness of his hearers. For as Christ would not have
been so readily received, had He not taken upon Him the
form of a servant ; so if he had not excited the attention of
servants by the voice of a fellow-servant beforehand, there
would not have been many Jews embracing the word of Christ.
It follows, And cried; that is, preached with openness, with
freedom, without reservation. He did not however begin
with asserting that this one was the natural only -begotten
Son of God, but cried, saying, This teas He of whom I spake,
He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for He was
before me. For as birds do not teach their young all at
once to fly, but first draw them outside the nest, and after-
wards try them with a quicker motion ; so John did not
immediately lead the Jews to high things, but began with
lesser flights, saving, that Christ was better than he ; which
in the mean time was no little advance. And observe how
prudently he introduces his testimony ; he not only points to
Christ when He appears, but preaches Him beforehand; as,
This is He of whom I spake. This would prepare men's
minds for Christ's coming : so that when He did come, the
humility of His garb would be no impediment to His being
received. For Christ adopted so humble and common an
appearance, that if men hud seen Him without first hearing
John's testimony to His greatness, none of the things spoken
of Him would have had any effect. Theophyl. He saith,
38 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Who cometh after me, that is, as to the time of His birth. John
was six months before Christ, according to His humanity.
Chrys. Chrys. Or this does not refer to the birth from Mary; for
xii°m' Christ was born, when this was said by John ; but to His
[xii.] 3. coming for the work of preaching. He then saith, is made*
before me; that is, is more illustrious, more honourable ; as if
he said, Do not suppose me greater than He, because I came
Theoph. first to preach. Theophyl. The Arians infer from this word *,
"Vi°y«»i»tna* tne S°n of God* is not begotten of the Father, but made
Aug. like any other creature. Aug. It does not mean — He was
Tr 3 n" ma0^e before I was made ; but He is preferred to me. Chrys.
Chrys. If the words, made before me, referred to His coming into
xiijt ' being, it was superfluous to add, For He was before me. For
[xii.] 3. ^q wouid be so foolish as not to know, that if He was made
before him, He was before him. It would have been more
correct to say, He was before me, because He was made before
me. The expression then, He teas made before me, must be
taken in the sense of honour: onlv that which was to take
place, he speaks of as having taken place already, after the
style of the old Prophets, who commonly talk of the future as
the past.
16. And of his fulness have all we received, and
grace for grace.
17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ.
Orig. Origen; This is to be considered a continuation of the
T
t?vi.3. Baptist's testimony to Christ, a point which has escaped the
v. 18. attention of many, who think that from this to, He hath
declared Him, St. John the Apostle is speaking. But the
idea that on a sudden, and, as it would seem, unseasonably,
the discourse of the Baptist should be interrupted by a
speech of the disciple's, is inadmissible. And any one, able
to follow the passage, will discern a very obvious connexion
here. For having said, He is preferred before me, for He
was before me, he proceeds, From this I know that He is
before me, because I and the Prophets who preceded me
a yiytnf. Vulg.factM. Eng. T. pre/erred.
VER. 16, 17. ST. JOHN. 39
have received of His fulness, and grace for grace, (the second
grace for the first.) For they too by the Spirit penetrated
beyond the figure to the contemplation of the truth. And
hence receiving, as we have done, of his fulness, we judge
that the law was given by Moses, but that grace and truth
were made1, by Jesus Christ — made, not given: the Father 'iym™ :
gave the law by Moses, but made grace and truth by Jesus, y^j*
But if it is Jesus who says below, / am the Truth, how isE- T.
C 3,1116.
truth made by Jesus? We must understand however thatj0hni4
the very substantial Truth2, from which First Truth and Its?- ,
Image many truths are engraven on those who treat of the akMu*
truth, was not made through Jesus Christ, or through any
one; but only the truth which is in individuals, such as in
Paul, e. g. or the other Apostles, was made through Jesus
Christ. Chrys. Or thus; John the Evangelist here adds Chrys.
his testimony to that of John the Baptist, saying, dnd^o™n'
of his fulness have we all received. These are not thexiv-
i- • • • -i i
words of the forerunner, but of the disciple ; as if he meant
to say, We also the twelve, and the whole body of the
faithful, both present and to come, have received of His
fulness. Aug. But what have ye received ? Grace for grace. Aug.
So that we are to understand that we have received a certain J£ °?n*
lr. in.
something from His fulness, and over and above this, grace for o. 8.
grace; that we have first received of His fulness, first grace ;e eq*
and again, we have received grace for grace. What grace
did we first receive? Faith: which is called grace, because
it is given freely3. This is the first grace then which the3 gratis
sinner receives, the remission of his sins. Again, we have
grace for grace ; i. e. in stead of that grace in which we live
by faith, we are to receive another, viz. life eternal: for life
eternal is as it were the wages of faith. And thus as faith
itself is a good grace, so life eternal is grace for grace. There
was not grace in the Old Testament; for the law threatened,
but assisted not, commanded, but healed not, shewed our weak-
ness, but relieved it not. It prepared the way however for
a Physician who was about to come, with the gifts of grace
and truth : whence the sentence which follows : For the law
was given by Moses, but grace and truth were made by Jesus
Christ. The death of thy Lord hath destroyed death, both
temporal and eternal; that is the grace which was promised,
40 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Chrys. but not contained, in the law. Chrys. Or we have received
TTnm
xiv. grace for grace; that is, the new in the place of the old.
[xiii.] por as j^bere is a justice and a justice besides, an adoption
sparsim. *\ . " . .
and another adoption, a circumcision and another circum-
cision; so is there a grace and another grace: only the one
being a type, the other a reality. He brings in the words to
shew that the Jews as well as ourselves are saved by grace:
it being of mercy and grace that they received the law.
Next, after he has said, Grace for grace, he adds something
to shew the magnitude of the gift; For the law was given
by 3Ioses, but grace and truth were made by Jesus
Christ. John when comparing himself with Christ above
had said, He is preferred before me: but the Evangelist
draws a comparison between Christ, and one much more
in admiration with the Jews than John, viz. Moses. And
observe his wisdom. He does not draw the comparison
between the persons, but the things, contrasting grace and
truth to the law: the latter of which he says was given,
a word only applying to an administrator; the former made,
as we should speak of a king, who does every thing by
his power: though in this King it would be with grace also,
because that with power He remitted all sins. Now His
grace is shewn in His gift of Baptism, and our adoption by
the Holy Spirit, and many other things ; but to have a better
insight into what the truth is, we should study the figures
of the old law: for what was to be accomplished in the New
Testament, is prefigured in the Old, Christ at His Coming
filling up the figure. Thus was the figure given by Moses,
$*%: . but the truth made bv Christ. Aug. Or, we may refer
xiii. c. grace to knowledge, truth to wisdom. Amongst the events
24.(xix.) Qf tjme tbe highest grace is the uniting of man to God in
One Person ; in the eternal world the highest truth pertains
to God the Word.
18. No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared him.
Orig. Origen; Heracleon asserts, that this is a declaration of
t^TS ^ie disciple, not °^ tne Baptist: an unreasonable supposition;
VER. 18. ST. JOHN. 41
for if the words, Of His fulness have ue all received, are the
Baptist's, does not the connexion run naturally, that he
receiving of the grace of Christ, the second in the place of
the first grace, and confessing that the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ; understood here
that no man had seen God at any time, and that the Only
Begotten, who was in the bosom of the Father, had committed
this declaration of Himself to John, and all who with him
had received of His fulness? For John was not the first
who declared Him; for He Himself who was before Abraham,
tells us, that Abraham rejoiced to see His glory. Chrys. Or Chrys.
thus; the Evangelist after shewing the great superiority of ^ ^Jan'
Christ's gifts, compared with those dispensed by Moses, »▼•
wishes in the next place to supply an adequate reason for "J
the difference. The one being a servant was made a minister
of a lesser dispensation : but the other Who was Lord, and Son
of the King, brought us far higher things, being ever coexistent
with the Father, and beholdiugllim. Then follows, No man
hath seen God at any time, fyc Aug. What is that then Aug.
which Jacob said, / have seen God face to face; and that pPjJ^
which is written of Moses, he talked with God face to face; (Ep.
147
and that which the prophet Isaiah saith of himself, / saw the [112.]
Lord silting upon a throne? Greg. It is plainly given us to c- 5-)
understand here, that while we are in this mortal state, we Ex. 33.'
can see God onlv through the medium of certain images, not Isa* 6*
jo o 5 Greg.
in the reality of His own nature. A soul influenced by the grace xviii.
of the Spirit may see God through certain figures, but cannot ^ 5^ '
penetrate into his absolute essence. And hence it is that Jacob, (88<)
T6C. 23.
who testifies that he saw God, saw nothing but an Angel: and
that Moses, who talked with God face to face, says, Shew me Exod.
Thy way, that I may know Thee : meaning that he ardently J
desired to see in the brightness of His own infinite Nature, Him
Whom he had only as yet seen reflected in images. Chbys. Chrys.
If the old fathers had seen That very Nature, they would vom'
not have contemplated It so variously, for It is in Itself simple Oiv-J
and without shape ; It sits not, It walks not; these are the
qualities of bodies. Whence he saith through the Prophet,
/ have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the Hosea
ministry of the Prophets: i. e. I have condescended to them, '
I appeared that which T was not. For inasmuch as the Son
42 GGSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
of God was about to manifest Himself to us in actual flesh,
men were at first raised to the sight of God, in such ways as
Aug. allowed of their seeing Him. Aug. Now it is said, Blessed are
Paulina the Vure *n heart, for they shall see God; and again, When
sparsim. £je s]iau appear ■, we shall be like unto Him, for we shall see
8. ' Him as He is. What is the meaning- then of the words here :
No man hath seen God at any time ? The reply is easy: those
passages speak of God, as to be seen, not as already seen.
They shall see God, it is said, not, they have seen Him:
nor is it, we have seen Him, but, we shall see Him as
He is. For, No man hath seen God at any time, neither in
this life, nor yet in the Angelic, as He is ; in the same way
in which sensible things are perceived by the bodily vision.
Greg. Greg. If however any, while inhabiting this corruptible flesh,
Moral. can advance to such an immeasurable height of virtue, as to
be able to discern by the contemplative vision, the eternal
brightness of God, their case affects not what we say. For
whoever seeth wisdom, that is, God, is dead wholly to this
Aug.xii.life, being no longer occupied by the love of it. Aug. For
°d rtt*1 un^ess any m some sense die to this life, either by leaving the
ram c. body altogether, or by being so withdrawn and alienated from
27
carnal perceptions, that he may well not know, as the Apostle
2 Cor. says, whether he be in the body or out of the body, he
Greg! cann°t De carried away, and borne aloft to that vision. Greg.
xviii. Some hold that in the place of bliss, God is visible in His
Moral.
c.54.90. brightness, but not in His nature. This is to indulge in over
vet* ... much subtlety. For in that simple and unchangeable essence,
XXXV111. ... .
no division can be made between the nature and the bright-
Aug. ness. Aug. If we say, that the text, No one6 hath seen God
^ivau*«£ any time, applies only to men; so that, as the Apostle
i Tim. more plainly interprets it, Whom no man hath seen nor can
see, no one is to be understood here to mean, no one of men :
the question may be solved in a way not to contradict what
Mat. 18, our Lord says, Their Angels do always behold the face of My
Greg. Father ; so that we must believe that Angels see, what no
xviii. one? j #e, 0f men, hath ever seen. Greg. Some however
c 54. there are who conceive that not even the Angels see God.
(9i.)vet. Chrys. That very existence which is God, neither Pro-
XXXVlll. J '
Chrys.
Horn.
xv. u ovli)$ : Vulg. nemo : E. T. no man.
(xiv.)l.
VER. 18. ST. JOHN. 43
phets, nor even Angels, nor yet Archangels, have seen.
For enquire of the Angels; they say nothing concerning His
Substance; but sing, Glory to God in the highest, and Peace Luke 2,
on eartlt to men of goodwill. Nay, ask even Cherubim and
Seraphim ; thou wilt hear only in reply the mystic melody of
devotion, and that heaven and earth are full of His glory. Is. 6, 3.
Aug. Which indeed is true so far, that no bodily or even Aug. to
mental vision of man hath ever embraced the fulness of Paulina
c. 7.
God ; for it is one thing to see, another to embrace the whole
of what thou seest. A thing is seen, if only the sight of it be
caught; but we only see a thing fully, when we have no
part of it unseen, wThen we see round its extreme limits.
Chrys. In this complete sense only the Son and the Holy Chrys.
Ghost see the Father. For how can created nature see thatHom>
which is uncreated ? So then no man knoweth the Father as xv- „
[xiv.l 1.
the Son knoweth Him: and hence what follows, The Only-
Begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath
declared Him. That we might not be led by the identity of
the name, to confound Him with the sons made so by grace,
the article is annexed in the first place ; and then, to put
an end to all doubt, the name Only-Begotten is intro-
duced. Hilary ; The Truth of His Nature did not seem Hii. de
sufficiently explained by the name of Son, unless, in ad- ^"39
dition, its peculiar force as proper to Him were expressed,
so signifying its distinctness from all beside. For in that,
besides Son, he calleth Him also the Only-Begotten, he cut
off altogether all suspicion of adoption, the Nature of the
Only-Begotten guaranteeing the truth of the name. Chrys. Chrys.
He adds, Which is in the bosom of the Father. To dwell Hom*
. XV.
in the bosom is much more than simply to see. For he who [xiv.] 2.
sees simply, hath not the knowledge thoroughly of that which
he sees ; but he who dwells in the bosom, knoweth every
thing. When you hear then that no one knoweth the
Father save the Son, do not by any means suppose that he
only knows the Father more than any other, and does not
know Him fully. For the Evangelist sets forth His residing
in the bosom of the Father on this very account : viz. to
w
shew us the intimate converse of the Only-Begotten, and His A
coetcrnity with the Father. Aug. In the bosom of the Father, in Joan.
i. e. in the secret Presence1 of the Father: for God hath notc> [ft
1 secrete
44 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. J.
the fold1 on the bosom, as we have ; nor must be imagined
to sit, as we do ; nor is He bound with a girdle, so as to have
a fold : but from the fact of our bosom being placed inner-
most, the secret Presence of the Father is called the bosom
of the Father. He then who, in the secret Presence of the
Father, knew the Father, the same hath declared what He saw.
Chrys. Chrys. But what hath He declared ? That God is one. But
xv. this the rest of the Prophets and Moses proclaim : what else
[xiv.] 3. have we learnt from the Son Who was in the bosom of the
Father ? In the first place, that those very truths, which the
others declared, were declared through the operation of the
Only Begotten : in the next place, we have received a far
greater doctrine from the Only Begotten ; viz. that God is a
Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in
spirit and in truth ; and that God is the Father of the Only
Bede Begotten. Bede; Farther, if the word declaredhaxe reference
to the past, it must be considered that He, being made man,
declared the doctrine of the Trinity in unity, and how, and by
what acts we should prepare ourselves for the contemplation
of it. If it have reference to the future, then it means that
He will declare Him, when He shall introduce His elect to
Aug. the vision of His brightness. Aug. Yet have there been men,
c. 18.' wno, deceived by the vanity of their hearts, maintained that
the Father is invisible, the Son visible. Now if they call the
Son visible, with respect to His connexion with the flesh, we
object not ; it is the Catholic doctrine. But it is madness in
them to say He was so before His incarnation ; i. e. if it be
true that Christ is the Wisdom of God, and the Power of
God. The Wisdom of God cannot be seen bv the eve. If
the human word cannot be seen by the eye, how can the
Chrys. Word of God ? Chrys. The text then, No man hath seen
xvi. ' God at any time, applies not to the Father only, but also to
[xv.] l. tjie gon: for Jie? as Paul saith, is the Image of the invisible
God ; but He who is the Image of the Invisible, must Himself
also be invisible.
19. And this is the record of John, when the Jews
sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,
Who art thou ?
e K6k<ro;} sinus, bosom, mean often, fold of the garment on the bosom.
VER. 19 28. ST. JOHN. 45
20. And he confessed, and denied not; but con-
fessed, I am not the Christ.
2 1 . And they asked him, What then ? Art thou
Elias ? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that pro-
phet? And he answered, No.
22. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that
we may give an answer to them that sent us. What
sayest thou of thyself?
23. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said
the prophet Esaias.
Origen ; This is the second testimony of John the Baptist to Orig.
Christ, the first began with, This is He of Whom I spake; and JJm°^'
ended with, He hath declared Him. Theophyl. Or, after the c- 29-
introduction above of John's testimony to Christ, is preferred m\oc.
before me, the Evangelist now adds when the above testi-
mony was given, And this is the record of John, when the
Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem. Origex ; Orig.
The Jews of Jerusalem, as being of kin to the Baptist, who c 4#"
was of the priestly stock, send Priests and Levites to ask him
who he is ; that is, men considered to hold a superior rank c. 6.
to the rest of their order, by God's election, and coming from
that favoured above all cities, Jerusalem. Such is the reveren-
tial way in which they interrogate John. We read of no such
proceeding towards Christ : but what the Jews did to John,
John in turn does to Christ, when he asks Him, through His
disciples, Art thou He that should come, or look ice for Luke 7,
another? Chrys. Such confidence had they in John, thatchrvs.
they were ready to believe him on his own words: witness1^ Joan*
how it is said, To ask him, Who art thou? Aug. Theyxvi.
would not have sent, unless they had been impressed by his ^ '^Tr
lofty exercise of authority, in daring to baptize. Origen;4. c. 3.
John, as it appears, saw from the question, that the Priests jnnjoh.
and Levites had doubts whether it might not be the Christ, tom- vi'
c. 6.
who was baptizing ; which doubts however they were afraid
to profess openly, for fear of incurring the charge of credulity.
He wisely determines therefore first to correct their mistake,
and then to proclaim the truth. Accordingly, he first of all
46 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
shews that he is not the Christ : And he confessed, and
denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. We may
add here, that at this time the people had already begun to be
impressed with the idea that Christ's advent was at hand,
in consequence of the interpretations which the lawyers had
collected out of the sacred writings to that effect. Thus
Theudas had been enabled to collect together a considerable
body, on the strength of his pretending to be the Christ ;
and after him Judas, in the days of the taxation, had done
Acts 5. the same. Such being the strong expectation of Christ's
advent then prevalent, the Jews send to John, intending by
the question, Who art thou ? to extract from him whether
G_reg- he were the Christ. Greg. He denied directly being what
vii. in he was not, but he did not deny what he was : thus, by his
Evang. Speaking truth, becoming a true member of Him Whose
C * X •
Chrys. name he had not dishonestly usurped. Chrys. Or take this
xv°m' explanation : The Jews were influenced by a kind of human
[xv«] !> sympathy for John, whom they were reluctant to see made
subordinate to Christ, on account of the many marks of
greatness about him ; his illustrious descent in the first place,
he being the son of a chief priest ; in the next, his hard
training, and his contempt of the world. Whereas in Christ
the contrary were apparent ; a humble birth, for which they
Mat. 13, reproach Him ; Is not this the carpenter's son ? an ordinary
way of living; a dress such as every one else wore. As John
then was constantly sending to Christ, they send to him, with
the view of having him for their master, and thinking to
induce him, by blandishments, to confess himself Christ.
They do not therefore send inferior persons to hiin, ministers
and Herodians, as they did to Christ, but Priests and Levites ;
and not of these an indiscriminate party, but those of Jeru-
salem, i.e. the more honourable ones; but they send them
y y %j
with this question, to ask, Who art then ? not from a wish
to be informed, but in order to induce him to do what I have
said. John replies then to their intention, not to their interro-
gation : And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am
not the Christ. And observe the wisdom of the Evangelist:
he repeats the same thing three times, to shew John's virtue, and
the malice and madness of the Jews. For it is the character
of a devoted servant, not only to forbear taking to himself
VER. 19 — 23. ST. JOHN. 47
his lord's glory, but even, when numbers offer it to him, to
reject it. The multitude indeed believed from ignorance
that John was the Christ, but in these it was malice ; and in
this spirit they put the question to him, thinking, by their
blandishments to bring him over to their wishes. For unless
this had been their design, when he replied, i" am not the
Christy they would have said, We did not suspect this ; we
did not come to ask this. When caught, however, and dis-
covered in their purpose, they proceed to another question :
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias f Aug. Aug.
For they knew that Elias was to preach Christ ; the name of ^r ?™'
Christ not being unknown to any among the Jews ; but they c. 4.
did not think that He our Lord was the Christ : and yet did
not altogether imagine that there was no Christ about to come.
In this way, while looking forward to the future, they mistook
at the present.
And he said, I am not. Greg. These words gave rise to Greg.
a very different question. In another place, our Lord, when vi°™" j
asked by His disciples concerning the coming of Elias,
replied, If ye will receive it, this is Elias. But John says, Mat.n,
I am not Elias. How is he then a preacher of the truth, if '
he agrees not with what that very Truth declares ? Origen ; Orig.
Some one will say that John was ignorant that he was Elias 5 tom °^n"
as those say, who maintain, from this passage the doctrine c- 7-
of a second incorporation, as though the soul took up a new
body, after leaving its old one. For the Jews, it is said,
asking John by the Levites and priests, whether he is Elias,
suppose the doctrine of a second body to be already certain;
as though it rested upon tradition, and were part of their
secret system. To which question, however, John replies,
/ am not Elias: not being acquainted with his own prior
existence. But how is it reasonable to imagine, if John
were a prophet enlightened by the Spirit, and had revealed
so much concerning the Father, and the Only-Begotten, that
he could be so in the dark as to himself, as not to know
that his own soul had once belonged to Elias? Greg. But Greg,
if we examine the truth accurately, that which sounds incon- vii°™^
sistent, will be found not really so. The Angel told Zacha-Evang.
rias concerning John, He shall go before Him in the spirit Luke l
and power of Elias. As Elias then will preach the second17.
18 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
advent of our Lord, so John preached His first ; as the former
will come as the precursor of the Judge, so the latter was
made the precursor of the Redeemer. John was Elias in
spirit, not in person : and what our Lord affirms of the spirit,
John denies of the Person : there being a kind of propriety in
this ; viz. that our Lord to His disciples .should speak spiritually
of John, and that John, in answering the carnal multitude,
Orig. should speak of his body, not of his spirit. Orig en ; He
in Joan. , 1T. , -^ . _
torn. v\. answers then the Levites and Priests, 1 am not, conjecturing
c. 7.
what their question meant : for the purport of their examina-
tion was to discover, not whether the spirit in both was the
same, but whether John was that very Elias, who was taken
up, now appearing again, as the Jews expected, without
another birth1. But he whom we mentioned above as holding
this doctrine of a reincorporation, will say that it is not con-
sistent that the Priests and Levites should be ignorant of the
birth of the son of so dignified a priest as Zacharias, who was
born too in his father's old age, and contrary to all human
Luke l, probabilities: especially when Luke declares, that fear came
on all that dwelt round about them. But perhaps, since
Elias was expected to appear before the coming of Christ
near the end, they may seem to put the question figuratively,
Art thou he who announcest the coming of Christ at
the end of the world ? to which he answers, / am not.
But there is in fact nothing strange in supposing that John's
birth might not have been known to all. For as in the
case of our Saviour many knew Him to be born of Mary,
and yet some wrongly imagined that He was John the
Baptist, or Elias, or one of the Prophets ; so in the case of
John, some were not unacquainted with the fact of his being
son of Zacharias, and yet some may have been in doubt
whether he were not the Elias who was expected. Again,
inasmuch as many prophets had arisen in Israel, but one was
especially looked forward to, of whom Moses had prophesied,
Pfut-_ The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from
the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; unto Him
shall ye hearken : they ask him in the third place, not
• Origen argues again against there- Apol. pro Orig. c. 10. p. 45. 46. ed. de
incorporation from this same passage, la Rue.
in Matt. 1. vii. and xiii. §. 1. see Pamph.
VER. 19 23. ST. JOHN. 49
simply whether he is a prophet, but with the article prefixed,
Art thou that Prophet ? For every ODe of the prophets
in succession had signified to the people of Israel that he
was not the one whom Moses had prophesied of; who, like
Moses, was to stand in the midst between God and man, and
deliver a testament, sent from God to His disciples. They
did not however apply this name to Christ, but thought
that He was to be a different person ; whereas John
knew that Christ was that Prophet, and therefore to this
question, he answered, No, Aug. Or because John was more Au£-
than a prophet : for that the prophets announced Him afar Tr. iv.
off, but John pointed Him out actually present. c" 8'
Tlien said they unto him, Who art thou ? that we may
give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of
thyself? Chrys. You see them here pressing him still more Chrys.
strongly with their questions, while he on the other handxv°m'
quietly puts down their suspicions, where they are untrue, [xv-l 2-
and establishes the truth in their place : saying, / am the
voice of one crying in the wilderness. Aug. So spoke Esaias : Aug.Tr.
the prophecy was fulfilled in John the Baptist. Greg. Ye Greg. '
know that the only-begotten Son is called the Word of the I?.om" 0
Father. Now we know, in the case of our own utterance,
the voice first sounds, and then the word is heard. Thus
John declares himself to be the voice, i. e. because he
precedes the Word, and, through his ministry, the Word of the
Father is heard by man. Origen ; Heracleon, in his discussion prig.
on John and the Prophets, infers that because the Saviour tom.vi.
was the Word, and John the voice, therefore the whole of the c- 12-
prophetic order was only sound. To which we reply, that,
if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare
himself for the battle ? If the voice of prophecy is nothing
but sound, why does the Saviour send us to it, saying, Search J°hn 5,
the Scriptures ? But John calls himself the voice, not that
crieth, but of one that crieth in the wilderness ; viz. of Him
Who stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him come unto John 7,
Me and drink. He cries, in order that those at a distance
may hear him, and understand from the loudness of the
sound, the vastness of the thing spoken of. Theophyl. Orinloc*
because he declared the truth plainly, while all who were Greg.
under the law spoke obscurely. Greg. John crieth in the Jjj° ^
E Ev. c. 2.
50 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
wilderness, because it is to forsaken and destitute Judaea
that he bears the consolatory tidings of a Redeemer.
Orig. Origen ; There is need of the voice crying in the wilderness,
c. 10.11. tnat tne soul> forsaken by God, may be recalled to making
straight the way of the Lord, following no more the crooked
paths of the serpent. This has reference both to the con-
templative life, as enlightened by truth, without mixture of
falsehood, and to the practical, as following up the correct
perception by the suitable action. Wherefore he adds,
Make straight the way of the Lord, as saith the prophet
Greg. Esaias. Greg. The way of the Lord is made straight to the
rii.in heart, when the word of truth is heard with humility; the
Evang. vvav 0f the Lcu-cl is made straight to the heart, when the life
is formed upon the precept.
24. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why
baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor
Elias, neither that prophet ?
26. John answered them, saying, I baptize with
water : but there standeth one among you, whom ye
know not ;
27. He it is, who coming after me is preferred before
me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
28. These things were done in Bethabara beyond
Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Orig. Origen ; The questions of the priests and Levites being
m oan-answere(j another mission comes from the Pharisees: And
torn, v], '
c 13. they that it ere sent were of the Pharisees. So far as it is
allowable to form a conjecture from the discourse itself here,
I should say that it was the third occasion of John's giving
his witness. Observe the mildness of the former question, so
befitting the priestly and levitical character, Who art thou f
There is nothing arrogant or disrespectful, but only what
becomes true ministers of God. The Pharisees however,
being a sectarian body, as their name implies, address the
Baptist in an importunate and contumelious way. And they
said, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ,
VER. 24 28. ST. JOHN. 51
neither Elias, neither that Prophet ? not caring about in-
formation, but only wishing to prevent him baptizing. Yet
the very next thing they did, was to come to John's baptism.
The solution of this is, that they came not in faith, but
hypocritically, because they feared the people. Chrys. Or, Chrys.
those very same priests and Levites were of the Pharisees, ^°m*
and, because they could not undermine him by blandishments, xv.) 2.
began accusing, after they had compelled him to say what
he was not. And they asked him, saying, Why baptizest
thou then, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elias, neither
that Prophet? As if it were an act of audacity in him to
baptize, when he was neither the Christ, nor His precursor,
nor His proclaimer, i. e. that Prophet. Greg. A saint, even Greg.
when perversely questioned, is never diverted from the pur- .P1?'
suit of goodness. Thus John to the words of envy opposes Evang.
the words of life : John answered them, saying, I indeed0'
baptize with water. Origen ; For how would the question, Orig.
Why then baptizest thou, be replied to in any other way, than Jn Joa?*
by setting forth the carnal nature of his own baptism ? c. 15.
Greg. John baptizeth not with the Spirit, but with water; Greg,
not being able to remit sins, he washes the bodies of the *??"}•
° . vii. in
baptized with water, but not their souls with pardon. Why Evang.
then doth he baptize, when he doth not remit sins by *
baptism ? To maintain his character of forerunner. As his
birth preceded our Lord's, so doth his baptism precede our
Lord's baptism. And he who was the forerunner of Christ
in His preaching, is forerunner also in His baptism, which
was the imitation of that Sacrament. And withal he
announces the mystery of our redemption, saying that He,
the Redeemer, is standing in the midst of men, and they know
it not: There standeth one among you, whom ye know not :
for our Lord, when He appeared in the flesh, was visible in
body, but in majesty invisible. Chrys. One among you. Chrys.
It was fitting that Christ should mix with the people, and be xvl* 3'
one of the many, shewing every where His humility. Whom
ye know not ; i. e. not, in the most absolute and certain
sense; not, who He is, and whence He is. Aug. In His Aug.
low estate He was not seen; and therefore the candle was 0>g.r
lighted. Theophyl. Or it was, that our Lord was in tho-in inc.
midst of the Pharisees ; and they not knowing lIurfCoT^or ^
e 2 /c^r «A
, g
52 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
they thought that they knew the Scriptures, and therefore,
inasmuch as our Lord was pointed out there, He was in the
midst of them, i. e. in their hearts. But they knew Him not,
inasmuch as they understood not the Scriptures. Or take
another interpretation. He was in the midst of them, as
mediator between God and man, wishing to bring them,
Orig. the Pharisees, to God. But they knewT Him not. Origen ;
tom°v? ^r thus; Having said, / iiideed baptize with water, in
c- 15- answer to the question, Why baptizest thou then? — to the
next, If thou be not Christ? he replies by declaring the
preexistent substance of Christ ; that it was of such virtue,
that though His Godhead was invisible, He was present to
every one, and pervaded the whole world; as is conveyed in
the words ; There standeth one among you. For He it is,
Who hath diffused Plimself through the whole system of
nature, insomuch that every thing which is created, is created
by Him; All tilings were made by Him. Whence it is
evident that even those who enquired of John, Why baptizest
thou then? had Him among them. Or, the words, There
standeth one among you, are to be understood of mankind
generally. For, from our character as rational beings, it
follows that the word3 exists in the centre of us, because the
heart, which is the spring of motion within us, is situated in
the centre of the body. Those then who carry the word
within them, but are ignorant of its nature, and the source
and beginning and the way in which it resides in them ;
these, hearing the word within them, know it not. But John
recognised Him, and reproached the Pharisees, saying,
Whom ye know not. For, though expecting Christ's coming,
the Pharisees had formed no lofty conception of Him, but
supposed that He would only be a holy man : wherefore
he briefly refutes their ignorance, and the false ideas that
they had of His excellence. He saith, standeth ; for as the
Father standeth, i. e. exists without variation or change, so
standeth the Word ever in the work of salvation, though It
assume flesh, though It be in the midst of men, though
It stand invisible. Lest any one however should think
that the invisible One Who cometh to all men, and to
s i. e. the Xoyo; iv avfyurois, reason; the word which is the image of the
Word.
VER. 24—28. ST. JOHN. 53
the universal world, is different from Him Who was made
man, and appeared on the earth, he adds, He that comet h
after ?ne, i. e. Who will appear after me. The after however
here has not the same meaning that it has, when Christ
calls us after Him ; for there we are told to follow after
Him, that by treading in His steps, we may attain to the
Father; but here the word is used to intimate what should
follow upon John's teaching; for he came that all may
believe, having by his ministry been fitted gradually by
lesser things, for the reception of the perfect Word. There-
fore he saith, He it is Who cometh after me. Chrys. As Chrys.
if he said, Do not think that every thing is contained in my xvw'ai.
baptism ; for if my baptism were perfect, another would not xv0 3-
come after me with another baptism. This baptism of mine
is but an introduction to the other, and will soon pass away,
like a shadow, or an image. -There is One coming after me
to establish the truth: and therefore this is not a perfect
baptism ; for, if it were, there would be no room for a
second : and therefore he adds, Who is made before me :
i. e. is more honourable, more lofty. Greg. Made before Greg.
me, i. e. preferred before me. He comes after me, that is, J?0™*
He is born after me ; He is made before me, that is, He Ev. c. 3.
is preferred to me. Chrys. But lest thou shouldest think Chrys.
XT
this to be the result of comparison, he immediately shews it xv°m/al
to be a superiority beyond all comparison; Whose shoe's *v.) 3.
late he t I am not worthy to unloose : as if He said, He is so
much before me, that I am unworthy to be numbered among
the lowest of His attendants : the unloosing of the sandal
being the very lowest kind of service. Aug. To have Aug.
pronounced himself worthy even of unloosing His shoe's r' u'
latchet, he would have been thinking too much of himself.
Greg. Or thus: It was a law of the old dispensation, that, Greg.
if a man refused to take the woman, who of right came tovji.jn'
him, to wife, he who by right of relationship came next to Ev* c* 3-
be the husband, should unloose his shoe. Now in what
character did Christ appear in the world, but as Spouse of
the Holy Church ? John then very properly pronounced John 3,
himself unworthy to unloose this shoe's latchet: as if he said,
I cannot uncover the feet of the Redeemer, for I claim not the
title of spouse, which 1 have no right to. Or the passage
54 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
may be explained in another way. We know that shoes are
made out of dead animals. Our Lord then, when He came
in the flesh, put on, as it were, shoes; because in His
Divinity He took the flesh of our corruption, wherein we had
of ourselves perished. And the latchet of the shoe, is the
seal upon the mystery. John is not able to unloose the shoe's
latchet ; i. e. even he cannot penetrate into the mystery of
the Incarnation. So he seems to say: What wonder that
He is preferred before me, Whom, being born after me, I
contemplate, yet the mystery of Whose birth I comprehend
0ri£- not. OPviG. The place has been understood not amiss thus
torn. vi. . -1 .
in Joan. by a certain person1; 1 am not ol such importance, as that
1 Hera- f my s^e j_je Sh0l-Qcj descend from this high abode, and
cleon. * °
Chxys. take flesh upon Him, as it were a shoe. Chrys. John
H?P* . having preached the thing concerning Christ publicly and
xvi.) l. with becoming liberty, the Evangelist mentions the place
m oan.o£ j^.g pVeac]imo- . These thing s were done in Bethany
beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. For it was in
no house or corner that John preached Christ, but beyond
Jordan, in the midst of a multitude, and in the presence of
all whom He had baptized. Some copies read more cor-
rectly Bethabara : for Bethany was not beyond Jordan, or in
the desert, but near Jerusalem. Gloss; Or we must suppose
two Bethanies ; one over Jordan, the other on this side, not
far from Jerusalem, the Bethany where Lazarus was raised
Chrys. from the dead. Chrys. He mentions this too for another
xvii?' reason, viz. that as He was relating events which had only
recently happened, He might, by a reference to the place,
appeal to the testimony of those who were present and saw
them. Alcuin. The meaning of Bethany is, house of
obedience ; by which it is intimated to us, that all must
Orig. approach to baptism, through the obedience of faith. Orig.
c 24. Bethabara means house of preparation; which agree th with
the baptism of Him, who was making ready a people pre-
c. 25. pared for the Lord. Jordan, again, means, " their descent."
er seq. yow w]iat is this river but our Saviour, through Whom
coming into this earth all must be cleansed, in that He came
down not for His own sake, but for theirs. This river it is
which separated) the lots given by Moses, from those given
c 29. by Jesus: its streams make glad the city of God. As the
VER. 29 — 31. ST. JOHN. 55
serpent lies hid in the Egyptian river, so doth God in this;
for the Father is in the Son. Wherefore whosoever go thither
to wash themselves, lay aside the reproach of Egypt, are Joshua
made meet to receive the inheritance, are cleansed from ' "
leprosy, are made capable of a double portion of grace, and ? Kings
ready to receive the Holy Spirit ; nor doth the spiritual dove 2'Kings
light upon any other river. John again baptizes beyond*2"'®'
Jordan, as the precursor of Him Who came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.
29. The next day John seeth Jesus coming to him,
and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world.
30. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh
a man which is preferred before me : for he was before
me.
31. And I knew him not: but that he should be
made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing
with water.
Origen; After this testimony, Jesus is seen coming toOrig.
John, not only persevering in his confession, but also advanced c°™oJ
in goodness: as is intimated by the second day. Wherefore
it is said, The next day John seeth Jesus coming to him.
Long before this, the Mother of Jesus, as soon as she had
conceived Him, went to see the mother of John then preg-
nant; and as soon as the sound of Mary's salutation reached
the ears of Elisabeth, John leaped in the womb : but now
the Baptist himself after his testimony seeth Jesus coming.
Men are first prepared by hearing from others, and then see
with their own eyes. The example of Mary going to see
Elisabeth her inferior, and the Son of God going to see the
^Baptist, should teach us modesty and fervent charity to our
inferiors. What place the Saviour came from when He
came to the Baptist we are not told here; but we find it in
Matthew, Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto M.a.tt.3,
John to be baptized of him. Chrys. Or; Matthew relates J^*
directly Christ's coming to His baptism, John His coming a Horn,
second time subsequent to His baptism, as appears from what^j
follows: / saw the Spirit descending, tyc. The Evangelists
50 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
have divided the periods of the history between them;
Matthew passing over the part before John's imprisonment,
and hastening to that event; John chiefly dwelling on what
took place before the imprisonment. Thus he says, TJie
next day John seeth Jesus coming to him. But why did He
come to him the next day after His baptism? Having been
baptized with the multitude, He wished to prevent any from
thinking that He came to John for the same reason that
others did, viz. to confess His sins, and be washed in the
river unto repentance. He comes therefore to give John
an opportunity of correcting this mistake; which John
accordingly did correct; viz. by those words, Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
For He Who was so pure, as to be able to absolve other men's
sins, evidently could not have come thither for the sake of
confessing His own; but only to give John an opportunity of
speaking of Him. He came too the next day, that those who
had heard the former testimonies of John, might hear them
again more plainly; and other besides. For he saith, Behold
the Lamb of God, signifying that He was the one of old sought
after, and reminding them of the prophecy of Isaiah, and
of the shadows of the Mosaic law, in order that through the
Aug. figure he might the easier lead them to the substance. Aug.
c jo . If the Lamb of God is innocent, and John is the lamb,
must he not be innocent? But all men come of that stock
Ps. 51, of which David sings sorrowing, Behold, I was conceived in
wickedness. He then alone was the Lamb, who was not
thus conceived; for He was not conceived in wickedness, nor
in sin did His mother bear Him in her womb, Whom a
virgin conceived, a virgin brought forth, because that in faith
Orig. she conceived, and in faith received. Obigen ; But whereas
c. 32. nve kinds of animals are offered in the temple, three beasts of
et seq. the field, a calf, a sheep, and a goat; and two fowls of the air/
a turtle dove and a pigeon; and of the sheep kind three are
introduced, the ram, the ewe, the lamb ; of these three he
mentions only the lamb; the lamb, as we know, being offered
in the daily sacrifice, one in the morning, and one in the
evening. But what other daily offering can there be,
that can be meant to be offered by a reasonable nature,
except the perfect Word, typically called the Lamb? This
VER. 29 31. ST. JOHN. 57
sacrifice, which is offered up as soon as the soul begins to
be enlightened, shall be accounted as a morning sacrifice,
referring to the frequent exercise of the mind iij divine
things; for the soul cannot continually apply to the highest
objects because of its union with an earthly and gross body.
By this Word too, Which is Christ the Lamb, we shall be able
to reason on many things, and shall in a manner attain to
Him in the evening, while engaged with things of the body1.
But He Who offered the lamb for a sacrifice, was God hid
in human form, the great Priest, He who saith below, iVo Johnio,
man taketh it (My life) from Me, but I lay it down of
Myself: whence this name, the Lamb of God: for He
carrying our sorrows, and taking away the sins of the whole Isaiah
world, hath undergone death, as it were baptism. For God 1 pet* 2
suffers no fault to pass uncorrected; but punishes it by the24-
sharpest discipline. Theophyl. He is called the Lamb of 50.
God, because God the Father accepted His death for our salva- m loc* '
tion, or, in other words, because He delivered Him up to death
for our sakes. For just as we say, This is the offering of such
a man, meaning the offering made by him; in the same sense
Christ is called the Lamb of God Who gave His Son to die
for our salvation. And whereas that typical lamb did not
take away any man's sin, this one hath taken away the sin
of the whole world, rescuing it from the danger it was in
from the wrath of God. Behold Him1 Who taketh away Me* Vul£-
^ Eccere-
sin of the world: he saith not, who will take, but, JFAopeated
taketh away the sin of the world; as if He were always
doing this. For He did not then only take it away when He
suffered, but from that time to the present, He taketh it
away; not by being always crucified, for He made one
sacrifice for sins, but by ever washing it by means of that
sacrifice. Greg. But then only will sin be entirely taken Mreg',
1 Christ the Word is our real daily ritual thoughts, and this is still con- Jl11, c*
sacrifice. He carries on within us what tinued in the Christian, even although ^'
is outwardly typified by the Mosaic by reason of the infirmity of the flesh,
ritual. As in the Jewish temple the he cannot always abide in meditation on
day began with the one continual sacri- the Divinest things, yet is, in Christ,
fice which was carried on by others in engaged on many useful things, and so
their turn through the day, (vid.Orig. vi. also when He comes even to the things
c. 34.) till at last the evening sacrifice of the body, in themselves a sort of
put a close to all sacred services: so in evening and night to the soul, still
our mind? a sacrifice is offered up to God doing them also in Christ, he closes all
when the Word (from Whom our word, in Christ.
i. e. reason, is derived) lights up spi-
58 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I,
away from the human race, when our corruption has been
turned to a glorious incorruption. We cannot be free from
sin, so long as we are held in the death of the body. Theo*
Theoph. phyl. Why does he say the sin of the world, not sins?
in oc. J3ecause he wished to express sin universally: just as we say
commonly, that man was cast out of paradise; meaning
the whole human race. Gloss ; Or by the sin of the world is
meant original sin, which is common to the whole world:
which original sin, as well as the sins of every one individually, i
Aug- Christ by His grace remits. Aug. For He Who took not sin
Tr. iv. c.
10, 11. from our nature, He it is Who taketh away our sin. Some
say, We take away the sins of men, because we are holy; for
if he, who baptizes, is not holy, how can he take away the
other's sin, seeing he himself is full of sin ? Against these
reasoners let us point to the text; Behold Him Who taketh
away the sin of the world; in order to do away with such
Orig. presumption in man towards man. Origen; As there was
c?36.V1" a connexion between the other sacrifices of the law, and the
daily sacrifice of the lamb, in the same way the sacrifice of
this Lamb has its reflexion in the pouring out of the blood of
the Martyrs, by whose patience, confession, and zeal for
goodness, the machinations of the ungodly are frustrated.
Theoph. Theophyl. John having said above to those who came from
the Pharisees, that there stood one among them whom they
knew not, he here points Him out to the persons thus
ignorant: This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a
man which is preferred before me. Our Lord is called a man,
in reference to His mature age, being thirty years old when
He was baptized: or in a spiritual sense, as the Spouse of
2 Cor. the Church; in which sense St. Paul speaks, I have espoused
you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste
Aug. virgin to Christ. Aug. He cometh after me, because he was
born after me: He is made before me, because He is preferred
Greg, to me. Greg. He explains the reason of this superiority, in
vihTn wnat follows: For He was before me; as if his meaning was;
Ev.c. 3. And this is the reason of His being superior to me, though
born after me, viz. that He is not circumscribed by the time
of His nativity. He Who was born of His mother in time,
Theoph. was begotten of His Father out of time. Theophyl. Attend,
in loc. q Arj,us> He saith not, He was created before me, but He
VER. 29 — 31. ST. JOHN. 59
was before me. Let the false sect of Paul of Samosata
attend. They will see that He did not derive His original
existence from Mary; for if He derived the beginning of
His being from the Virgin, how could He have been before
His precursor? it being evident that the precursor preceded
Christ by six months, according to the human birth. Chrys. Chrys.
That He might not seem however to give His testimony from xv°wai
any motive of friendship or kindred, in consequence of his being xvi.) 2.
related to our Lord according to the flesh, he says, / knew
Him not. John could not of course know Him, having lived
in the desert. And the miraculous events of Christ's child-
hood, the journey of the Magi, and such like, were now
a long time past; John having been quite an infant, when
they happened. And throughout the whole of the interval,
He had been absolutely unknown: insomuch that John
proceeds, But that He should he made manifest to Israel,
therefore am I come baptizing with water. (And hence it is
clear that the miracles said to have been performed by Christ
in His childhood, are false and fictitious. For if Jesus had
performed miracles at this early age, he would not have been
unknown to John, nor would the multitude have wanted
a teacher to point Him out ) Christ Himself then did not
want baptism; nor was that washing for any other reason,
than to give a sign beforehand of faith in Christ. For
John saith not, in order to change men, and deliver from sin,
but, that he should be made manifest in Israel, have I come
baptizing. But would it not have been lawful for him to
preach, and bring crowds together, without baptizing? Yes:
but this was the easier way, for he would not have collected
such numbers, had he preached without baptizing. Aug. Aug.
Now when our Lord became known, it was unnecessary to c#i2i3
prepare a way for Him; for to those who knew Him, He
became His own way. And therefore John's baptism did
not last long, but only so long as to shew our Lord's
humility. Our Lord received baptism from a servant, in Tr. v.
order to give us such a lesson of humility as might prepare
us for receiving the grace of baptism, And that the servant's
baptism might not be set before the Lord's, others were
baptized with it; who after receiving it, had to receive our
Lord's baptism : whereas those who first received our Lord's
baptism, did not receive the servant's after.
c. o.
60 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I-
32. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode
upon him.
33. And I knew him not; but he that sent me to
baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon
whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and re-
maining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost.
34. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son
of God.
Chrys. Chrys. John having made a declaration, so astonishing
xvii.(al. to all his hearers, viz. that He, whom he pointed out, did of
x\i.)2. Himself take away the sins of the world, confirms it by
a reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit. For John
might be asked, how did you know Him? Wherefore he
replies beforehand, by the descent of the Holy Spirit: And
John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from
Aug.de heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. Aug. This was
lriD.xv. ■* .
c. 46. not however the first occasion of Christ's receiving the
unction of the Holy Spirit: viz. Its descent upon Him at
His baptism; wherein He condescended to prefigure His
body, the Church, wherein those who are baptized receive
preeminently the Holy Spirit. For it would be absurd to
suppose that at thirty years old, (which was His age, when
He was baptized by John,) He received for the first time the
Holy Spirit: and that, when He came to that baptism, as He
was without sin, so was He without the Holy Spirit. For if
even of His servant and forerunner John it is written, He
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from His mothers
womb; if He, though sprung from His father's seed, yet
received the Holy Ghost, when as yet He was only formed
in the womb; what ought we to think and believe of Christ,
whose very flesh had not a carnal but spiritual conception ?
f US- Aug. We do not attribute to Christ onlv the possession of
(i p A ^on
Chris- a real body, and say that the Holy Spirit assumed a false
24 ^o9C^aPPeaiauce to men's eyes: for the Holy Spirit could no
more, in consistency with His nature, deceive men, than could
the Son of God. The Almighty God, Who made every
creature nut of nothing, could as easily form a real body of
VER. 32 — 34. ST. JOHN. 61
a dove, without the instrumentality of other doves, as He
made a real body in the womb of the Virgin, without the
seed of the male. Aug. The Holy Ghost was made to .Aug-
appear visibly in two ways : as a dove, upon our Lord at His xr. vi.
baptism ; and as a flame upon His disciples, when they were sParsim
met together: the former shape denoting simplicity, the
latter fervency. The dove intimates that souls sanctified
by the Spirit should have no guile; the fire, that in that
simplicity there should not be coldness. Nor let it disturb
thee, that the tongues are cloven; fear no division; unity is
assured to us in the dove. It was meet then that the Holy
Spirit should be thus manifested descending upon our Lord;
in order that every one who had the Spirit might know, that
he ought to be simple as a dove, and be in sincere peace
with the brethren. The kisses of doves represent this peace.
Ravens kiss, but they tear also; but the nature of the dove is
most alien to tearing. Ravens feed on the dead, but the
dove eats nothing but the fruits of the earth. If doves
moan in their love, marvel not that He Who appeared in the
likeness of a dove, the Holy Spirit, maketh intercession for~&°m-8>
us with groanings that cannot be uttered. The Holy Spirit
however groaneth not in Himself, but in us: He maketh us
to groan. And he who groaneth, as knowing that, so long
as He is under the burden of this mortality, he is absent from
the Lord, groaneth well: it is the Spirit that hath taught him
to groan. But many groan because of earthly calamities;
because of losses which disquiet them, or bodily sickness
which weigh heavily on them: they groan not, as doth the
dove. What then could more fitly represent the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of unity, than the dove? as He saith
Himself to His reconciled Church, My dove is one. What Cant- 6>
could better express humility, than the simplicity and
moaning of a dove? Wherefore on this occasion it was
that there appeared the very most Holy Trinity, the Father
in the voice which said, Tliou art My beloved Son; the
Holy Spirit in the likeness of the dove. In that Trinity the Matt.
28 19.
Apostles were sent to baptize, i. e. in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Greg. He saith, Greg.
iVTonl
Abode upon Him: for the Holy Spirit visits all the faithful ;hv. (90.)
but on the Mediator alone does He abide for ever in a
()2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
peculiar manner; never leaving the Son's Humanity, even as
He proceeds Himself from the Son's Divinity. But when
John 14, the disciples are told of the same Spirit, He shall dwell with
17. . . . .
you, how is the abiding of the Spirit a peculiar sign of
Christ? This will appear if we distinguish between the
different gifts of the Spirit. As regards those gifts which
are necessary- for attaining to life, the Holy Spirit ever abides
in all the elect; such are gentleness, humility, faith, hope,
charity : but with respect to those, which have for their
object, not our own salvation, but that of others, he does not
always abide, but sometimes withdraws, and ceases to exhibit
them; that men may be more humble in the possession of
His gifts. But Christ had all the gifts of the Spirit, un-
Chrys. interruptedly always. Chrys. Should any however think that
xvii (al. Christ really wanted the Holy Spirit, in the way that we do,
xvi.) 2. he corrects this notion also, by informing us that the descent
' of the Holy Ghost took place only for the purpose of mani-
festing Christ: And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to
baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou
shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the
Aug. same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. Aug.
c J A But who sent John? If we say the Father, we say true; if
we say the Son, we say true. But it would be truer to say,
the Father and the Son. How then knew he not Him, by
Whom he was sent? For if he knew not Him, by Whom he
wished to be baptized, it was rash in him to say, / have
need to be baptized by Thee. So then he knew Him ; and why
Chrys. saith he, I knew Him not? Chrys. When he saith, / knew
H?.m* . Him not, he is speaking of time past, not of the time of his
xvi.)c.3. baptism, when he forbad Him, saying, I have need to be bap-
Auo°an' tized °f Thee. Aug. Let us turn to the other Evangelists, who
Tr. iv.v. relate the matter more clearly, and we shall find most satis-
sparsim. factorily, that the dove descended when our Lord ascended
from the water. If then the dove descended after baptism,
but John said before the baptism, / hare need to be baptized
of Thee, he knew Him before His baptism also. How then
said he, / knew him not, but He which sent me to baptize?
Was this the first revelation made to John of Christ's
person, or was it not rather a fuller disclosure of what had
been already revealed? John knew the Lord to be the Son
VER. 3:> — 34. ST. JOHN. 63
of God, knew that He would baptize with the Holy Ghost:
for before Christ came to the river, many having come
together to hear John, he said unto them, He that corned Matt. 3,
after me is mightier than I: He shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost and ivith Jire. What then? He did not know
that our Lord (lest Paul or Peter might say, my baptism, as
we find Paul did say, my Gospel,) would have and retain to
Himself the power of baptism, the ministering of it however
passing to good and bad indiscriminately. What hindrance
is the badness of the minister, when the Lord is good? So
then we baptize again after John's baptism ; after a homicide's
we baptize not: because John gave his own baptism, the
homicide gives Christ's; which is so holy a sacrament, that
not even a homicide's ministration can pollute it. Our Lord
could, had He so willed, have given power to any servant of
His to give baptism as it were in His own stead; and to the
baptism, thus transferred to the servant, have imparted the
same power, that it would have had, when given by Himself.
But this He did not choose to do; that the hope of the baptized
might be directed to Him, Who had baptized them; He
wished not the servant to place hope in the servant. And
again, had He given this power to servants, there would
have been as many baptisms as servants; as there had been
the baptism of John, so should we have had the baptism of
Paul and of Peter. It is by this power then, which Christ
retains in His own possession exclusively, that the unity of
the Church is established ; of which it is said, My dove is one. cant. 6,
A man may have a baptism besides the dove; but that any9-
besides the dove should profit, is impossible. Chrys. The Chrys.
Father having sent forth a voice proclaiming the Son, the Holy xViWal.
Spirit came besides, bringing the voice upon the head of Christ, xvi0 3«
in order that no one present might think that what was said of
Christ, was said of John. But it will be asked: How was it
that the Jews believed not, if they saw the Spirit ? Such sights
however require the mental vision, rather than the bodily.
If those who saw Christ working miracles were so drunken
with malice, that they denied what their own eyes had seen,
how could the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a
dove overcome their incredulity ? Some say however that the
sight was not visible to all, but only to John, and the more
61 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
devotional part. But even if the descent of the Spirit, as
a dove, was visible to the outward eye, it does not follow
that because all saw it, all understood it. Zacharias himself,
Daniel, Ezechiel, and Moses saw many things, appearing to
their senses, which no one else saw: and therefore John
adds, And I saw and hare record that this is the Son of
God. He had called Him the Lamb before, and said that
He would baptize with the Spirit; but he had no where
Aug. called Him the Son before. Aug. It was necessary that the
in Joan. Only Son of God should baptize, not an adopted son.
Adopted sons are ministers of the Only Son: but though
they have the ministration, the Only one alone has the
power.
35. Again the next day after John stood, and two
of his disciples;
36. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith,
Behold the Lamb of God!
Chrys. Chrys. Many not having attended to John's words at
xviiHal nrst? ne rouses them a second time: Again the next day
xvii.) l. after John stood, and two of his disciples. Bede; John
Bede. stood, because he had ascended that citadel of all excel-
Hom. in , .
Vigil, lences, from which no temptations could cast him down : his
* n ' disciples stood with him, as stout-hearted followers of their
Chrys. master. Chrys. But wherefore went he not all about,
xv°™(al preaching in every place of Judaea; instead of standing near
xvii.) c. the river, waiting for His coming, that he might point Him
out? Because he wished this to be done by the works of
■r
Christ Himself. And observe how much greater an effort was
produced; He struck a small spark, and suddenly it rose into
a flame. Again, if John had gone about and preached, it
would have seemed like human partiality, and great suspicion
would have been excited. Now the Prophets and Apostles
all preached Christ absent; the former before His appearance
in the flesh, the latter after His assumption. But He was to
be pointed out by the eye, not by the voice only; and
therefore it follows: And looking upon Jesus as He walked,
he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! Theophyl. Looking
VER 87 — 40. ST. JOHN. Go
he saith, as if signifying by his looks his love and admiration
for Christ. Aug. John was the friend of the Bridegroom; Aug.
he sought not his own glory, but bare witness to the truth. c rgV11,
And therefore he wished not his disciples to remain with
him, to the hindrance of their duty to follow the Lord; but
rather shewed them whom they should follow, saying, Behold
the Lamb of God. Chrys. He makes not a long discourse, Chrys.
having only one object before him, to bring them and joinxvi™'j
them to Christ; knowing that they would not any further in Joan-
need his witness. John does not however speak to hisc. 2,
disciples alone, but publicly in the presence of all. And so,
undertaking to follow Christ, through this instruction common
to all, they remained thenceforth firm, following Christ for their
own advantage, not as an act of favour to their master s. John
does not exhort: he simply gazes in admiration on Christ,
pointing out the gift y He came to bestow, the cleansing from sin:
and the mode in which this would be accomplished: both of
which the word Lamb testifies to. Lamb has the article affixed
to it, as a sign of preeminence. Aug. For He alone and singly Aug.
is the Lamb without spot, without sin; not because Hisc 5
spots are wiped off, but because He never had a spot. He
alone is the Lamb of God, for by His blood alone can men
be redeemed. This is the Lamb whom the wolves fear; c. 6.
even the slain Lamb, by whom the lion was slain. Bede. Bede.
The Lamb therefore he calls Him; for that He wTas about to om' '
give us freely His fleece, that we might make of it a wedding
garment; i. e. would leave us an example of life, by which
we should be warmed into love. Alcuin. John stands in a
mystical sense, the Law having ceased, and Jesus comes,
bringing the grace of the Gospel, to which that same Law
bears testimony. Jesus walks, to collect disciples. Bede. Bede.
The walking of Jesus has a reference to the economy of the yigul
Incarnation, by means of which He has condescended to S. And.
come to us, and give us a pattern of life.
37. And the two disciples heard him speak, and
they followed Jesus.
x <rov ^ihu.ffx.a.'koV) i. e. John. In the rgo'rov tov xec^u^au. The Cat. has" pnr-
Cat. is substituted " propter gratiam parationem propter quam venit et mo-
Christi." dum preparations. " Perhaps it should
1 <rhv £«£iav lip' y,y tvnyUtro xu.) tov be u purgationis."
GO GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following,
and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto
Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted,
Master,) where dwellest thou?
39. He saith unto them, Come and see. They
came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him
that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40. One of the two which heard John speak, and
followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
Alcuin. John having borne witness that Jesus was the
Lamb of God, the disciples who had been hitherto with him,
in obedience to his command, followed Jesus : And the two
Chrys. disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Chrys.
xviiT. Observe ; when he said, He that cometh after me is made
l et sq. before me, and, Whose shoe's latch et I am not worthy to
unloose, he gained over none ; but when he made mention
of the economy, and gave his discourse a humbler turn, saying,
Behold the Lamb of God, then his disciples followed Christ.
For many persons are less influenced by the thoughts of
God's greatness and majesty, than when they hear of His
being man's Helper and Friend ; or any thing pertaining to
the salvation of men. Observe too, when John says, Behold
the Lamb of God, Christ says nothing. The Bridegroom
stands by in silence ; others introduce Him, and deliver the
Bride into His hands; He receives her, and so treats her that
she no longer remembers those who gave her in marriage.
Thus Christ came to unite to Himself the Church ; He said
nothing Himself; but John, the friend of the Bridegroom,
came forth, and put the Bride's right hand in His ; i. e. by
his preaching delivered into His hands men's souls, whom
receiving He so disposed of, that they returned no more to
John. And observe farther ; As at a marriage the maiden
goes not to meet the bridegroom, (even though it be a king's
son who weds a humble handmaid^) but he hastens to her ;
so is it here. For human nature ascended not into heaven,
but the Son of God came down to human nature, and took
her to His Father's house. Again ; There were disciples of
John who not only did not follow Christ, but were even
VER. 37 — 40. ST. JOHN. 67
enviously disposed toward Him ; but the better part heard,
and followed ; not from contempt of their former master, but
by his persuasion ; because he promised them that Christ
would baptize with the Holy Ghost. And see with what
modesty their zeal was accompanied. They did not straight-
way go and interrogate Jesus on great and necessary doc-
trines, nor in public, but sought private converse with Him;
for we are told that Jesus turned, and saw them following,
and saith unto them, What seek ye f Hence we learn, that
when we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us
opportunities enough of improvement. Christ asks the
question, not because He needed to be told, but in order to
encourage familiarity and confidence, and shew that He
thought them worthy of His instructions. Theophyl. Ob- in loc.
serve then, that it was upon those who followed Him, that
our Lord turned His face and looked upon them. Unless
thou by thy good works follow Him, thou shalt never be
permitted to see His face, or enter into His dwelling.
Alcuin. The disciples followed behind His back, in order to
see Him, and did not see His face. So He turns round, and,
as it were, lowers His majesty, that they might be enabled to
behold His face. Origen. Perhaps it is not without aOrig.
reason, that after six testimonies John ceases to bear witness, e.™^1'
and Jesus asks seventhly, What seek ye? Chrys. Andchrys.
besides following Him, their questions shewed their love for^™'
Christ; They said unto Him, Rabbi, {which is, being inter-™ Joan.
preted, Master,) where dwellest Thou ? They call Him,
Master, before they have learnt any thing from Him ; thus
encouraging themselves in their resolution to become dis-
ciples, and to shew the reason why they followed. Origen.
An avowal, befitting persons who came from hearing John's
testimony. They put themselves under Christ's teaching,
and express their desire to see the dwelling of the Son of
God. Alcuin. They do not wish to be under His teaching
for a time only, but enquire where He abides; wishing an
immediate initiation in the secrets of His word, and after-
wards meaning often to visit Him, and obtain fuller instruc-
tion. And, in a mystical sense too, they wish to know in
whom Christ dwells, that profiting by their example they
may themselves become fit to be His dwelling. Or, their
f 2
68 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. T.
seeing Jesus walking, and straightway enquiring where He
resides, is an intimation to us, that we should, remembering
His Incarnation, earnestly entreat Him to shew us our
eternal habitation. The request being so good a one, Christ
promises a free and full disclosure. He saith unto them,
Come and see: that is to say, My dwelling is not to be under-
stood by words, but by works ; come, therefore, by believing
Orig. and working, and then see by understanding. Origen. Or
cTSg11 perhaps come, is an invitation to action; see, to contempla-
Chrvs. tion. Chrys. Christ does not describe His house and
xviii. situation, but brings them after Him, shewing that he had
N-xvii.) already accepted them as His own. He says not, It is not
the time now, to-morrow ye shall hear if ye wish to learn ;
but addresses them familiarly, as friends who had lived with
him a long time. But how is it that He saith in another
Mart, s, piace The Son of man hath not where to lay His head?
when here He says, Come and see where I live ? His not
having where to lav His head, could onlv have meant that
He had no dwelling of His own, not that He did not live in
a house at all : for the next words are, They came and saw
where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day. Why they
staved the Evangelist does not sav : it beins: obviouslv for the
Au?-.. sake of His teaching. Aug. What a blessed day and night
c. 9. was l-hat • Let us too build up in our hearts within, and
make Him an house, whither He may come and teach us.
Theophyl. And it was about the tenth hour. The Evan-
gelist mentions the time of day purposely, as a hint both to
teachers and learners, not to let time interfere with their
Chrys. work. Chrys. It shewed a strong desire to hear Him,
xviii. 3. since even at sunset they did not turn from Him. To
sensual persons the time after meals is unsuitable for any
grave employment, their bodies being overloaded with food.
But John, whose disciples these were, was not such an one.
His evening was a more abstemious one than our mornings.
Au2. Aug. The number here signifies the law, which was composed
Tr,.r1, often commandments. The time had come when the law
c. 10.
was to be fulfilled by love, the Jews, who acted from fear,
having been unable to fulfil it, and therefore was it at the
tenth hour that our Lord heard Himself called, Rabbi;
1 magis-none DUt the giver of the law is the teacher1 of the law.
ter
VEtt. 41, 4*2. ST. JOHN. 60
Chrys. One of the two which heard John speak and followed Chrys.
Him ivas Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. Why is the other 5j{?"a
y «/ X \ 111. o.
name left out ? Some say, because this Evangelist himself was
that other. Others, that it was a disciple of no eminence,
and that there was no use in telling his name any more than
those of the seventy-two, which are omitted. Alcuin. Or it
would seem that the two disciples who followed Jesus were
Andrew and Philip.
41. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and
saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is,
being interpreted, the Christ.
42. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus
beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona :
thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation,
A stone.
Chrys. Andrew kept not our Lord's words to himself; but Chrys.
ran in haste to his brother, to report the good tidings : He xi°mj
first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We
have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the
Christ. Bede. This is truly to find the Lord; viz. to have Bede.
fervent love for Him, together with a care for our brother's y°m'g?
salvation. Chrys. The Evangelist does not mention what Andr.
Christ said to those who followed Him ; but we may infer it Horn!
from what follows. Andrew declares in few words what hexi*\(al-
had learnt, discloses the power of that Master Who had
persuaded them, and his own previous longings after Him,
For this exclamation, We have found, expresses a longing for
His coming, turned to exultation, now that He was really
come. Aug. Messias in Hebrew, Christus in Greek, UnctusAug.
rp
in Latin. Chrism is unction, and He had a special unction, \.V1'
which from Him extended to all Christians, as appears in the
Psalm, God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil ofv*. 44,
gladness above Thy fellows1. All holy persons are partakers L'i .-
with Him ; but He is specially the Holy of Holies, specially pibua
anointed. CiiRYS. And therefore he said not Messias, but Chrys.
the Messias. Mark the obedience of Peter from the \^u} ,
very first; he went immediately without delay, as appears
70 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
from the next words : And he brought him to Jesus.
Nor let us blame him as too yielding, because he did not
ask many questions, before he received the word. It is
reasonable to suppose that his brother had told him all,
and sufficiently fully ; but the Evangelists often make omissions
for the sake of brevity. But, besides this, it is not absolutely
said that he did believe, but only, He took him to Jesus ;
i. e. to learn from the mouth of Jesus Himself, what Andrew
had reported. Our Lord begins now Himself to reveal the things
of His Divinity, and to exhibit them gradually by prophecy.
For prophecies are no less persuasive than miracles ; inas-
much as they are preeminently God's work, and are beyond
the power of devils to imitate, while miracles may be
phantasy or appearance : the foretelling future events with
certainty is an attribute of the incorruptible nature
alone : And ichen Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art
Simon the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas, which
Bede. js ty interpretation, A stone. Bede. He beheld him not
Temp. ' with His natural eye only, but by the insight of His Godhead
y|^r,gn discerned from eternity the simplicity and greatness of his
Andr. soul, for which he was to be elevated above the whole
Church. In the word Peter, we must not look for any
additional meaning, as though it were of Hebrew or Syriac
derivation ; for the Greek and Latin word Peter, has the
same meaning as Cephas; being in both languages derived
from petra. He is called Peter on account of the firmness of
his faith, in cleaving to that Rock, of which the Apostle
1 Cor. speaks, And that Bock was Christ; which secures those
who trust in it from the snares of the enemy, and dispenses
Aug. streams of spiritual gifts. Aug. There was nothing very
c. 14. great in our Lord saying whose son he was, for our Lord
knew the names of all His saints, having predestinated them
before the foundation of the world. But it was a great thing
for our Lord to change his name from Simon to Peter.
Peter is from petra, rock, which rock is the Church : so that the
name of Peter represents the Church. And who is safe,
unless he build upon a rock? Our Lord here rouses
our attention : for had he been called Peter before, we
should not have seen the mystery of the Rock, and should
have thought that he was called so by chance, and not pro-
VER. 43—46. ST. JOHN. 71
videntially. God therefore made him to be called by another
name before, that the change of that name might give vivid-
ness to the mystery. Chrys. He changed the name too to Chrys.
shew that He was the same who done so before in the 01dxiXp(ai.
Testament; who had called Abram Abraham, Sarai Sarah, xviii.2.)
Jacob Israel. Many He had named from their birth, as
Isaac and Samson ; others again after being named by their
parents, as were Peter, and the sons of Zebedee. Those
whose virtue was to be eminent from the first, have names
given them from the first; those who were to be exalted
afterwards, are named afterwards. Aug. The account Aug.
here of the two disciples on the Jordan, who follow Christ Evang.
(before he had gone into Galilee) in obedience to John's1- u-c-
testimony ; viz. of Andrew bringing his brother Simon
to Jesus, who gave him, on this occasion, the name of Peter;
disagrees considerably with the account of the other Evan-
gelists, viz. that our Lord found these two, Simon and
Andrew, fishing in Galilee, and then bid them follow Him:
unless we understand that they did not regularly join our
Lord when they saw Him on the Jordan ; but only discovered
who He was, and full of wonder, then returned to their occu-
pations. Nor must we think that Peter first received his
name on the occasion mentioned in Matthew, when our Lord
says, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will 1 build My Mat. 16,
Church ; but rather when our Lord says, Thoip shall be called
Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. Alcuin. Or per-
haps He does not actually give him the name now, but only
fixes beforehand what He afterwards gave him when He said,
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build My Church.
And while about to change his name, Christ wishes to shew
that even that which his parents had given him, was not
without a meaning. For Simon signifies obedience, Joanna
grace, Jona a dove : as if the meaning was ; Thou art an
obedient son of grace, or of the dove, i. e. the Holy Spirit ;
for thou hast received of the Holy Spirit the humility, to
desire, at Andrew's call, to see Me. The elder disdained not
to follow the younger ; for where there is meritorious faith,
there is no order of seniority.
43. The day following Jesus would go forth into
72 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow
me.
44. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew
and Peter.
45. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him,
We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and
the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph.
46. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any
good thing come out of Nazareth ? Philip saith unto
him, Come and see.
Chrys. Chrys. After gaining these disciples, Christ proceeded to
I*on1, convert others, viz. Philip and Nathanael : The day follow-
ing, Jesus would go forth into Galilee. Alcuin. Leaving,
that is, Judaea, where John was baptizing, out of respect to
the Baptist, and not to appear to lower his office, so long as
it continued. He was going too to call a disciple, and wished
to go forth into Galilee, i. e. to a place of " transition" or
" revelation," that is to say, that as He Himself increased in
wisdom or stature, and in favour with God and man, and as
He suffered and rose again, and entered into His glory : so He
would teach His followers to go forth, and increase in virtue,
and pass through suffering to joy. He findeth Philip,
and saith unto him, Follow Me. Every one follows
Jesus who imitates His humility and suffering, in order to be
Chrys. partaker of His resurrection and ascension. Chrys. Observe,
HonJ" He did not call them, before some had of their own accord
joined Him: for had He invited them, before any had joined
Him, perhaps they would have started back : but now having
determined to follow of their own free choice, they remain
firm ever after. He calls Philip, however, because he would
be known to him, from living in Galilee. But what made
Philip follow Christ ? Andrew heard from John the Baptist,
and Peter from Andrew ; he had heard from no one ; and
yet on Christ saying, Follow Me, was persuaded instantly.
It is not improbable that Philip may have heard John : and
yet it may have been the mere voice of Christ which pro-
duced this effect. Theopuyl. For the voice of Christ
VER. 43 46. ST. JOHN. 73
sounded not like a common voice to some, that is, the faith-
ful, but kindled in their inmost soul the love of Him.
Philip having been continually meditating on Christ, and
reading the books of Moses, so confidently expected Him,
that the instant he saw, he believed. Perhaps too he had
heard of Him from Andrew and Peter, coming from the same
district; an explanation which the Evangelist seems to hint
at, when he adds, Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of
Andrew and Peter. Chrys. The power of Christ appears Chrys.
by His gathering fruit out of a barren country. For from xx°n]'
that Galilee, out of which there ariseth no prophet, He takes
His most distinguished disciples. Alcuin. Bethsaida means
house of hunters. The Evangelist introduces the name of
this place by way of allusion to the characters of Philip,
Peter, and Andrew, and their future office, i. e. catching and
saving souls. Chrys. Philip is not persuaded himself, but Chrys,
begins preaching to others: Philip findeth Nathanael, and^®^'
saith unto him, We have found Him of whom 3Ioses in the
Law, and the Prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son
of Joseph. See how zealous he is, and how constantly he is
meditating on the books of Moses, and looking for Christ's
coming. That Christ was coming he had known before ;
but he did not know that this was the Christ, of whom
Moses and the Prophets did write : He says this to give cre-
dibility to his preaching, and to shew his zeal for the Law and
the Prophets, and how that he had examined them attentively.
Be not disturbed at his calling our Lord the Son of Joseph ;
this was what He was supposed to be. Aug. The person to Aug.
whom our Lord's mother had been betrothed. The Christians cJ[l] '
know from the Gospel, that He was conceived and born of
an undefiled mother. He adds the glace too, of Nazareth.
Theophyl. He was bred up there : the place of His birth
could not have been known generally, but all knew that He
was bred up in Nazareth.
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing
come out of Nazareth. Aug. However you may understand Aug.
these words, Philip's answer will suit. You may read it 15
either as aflirmatory, Something good can come out of\6, 17.
Nazareth; to which the other says, Come and see: or you
may read it as a questiou, implying doubt on Nathanael's
74 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
part. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ? Come
and see. Since either way of reading agrees equally with what
follows, we must inquire the meaning of the passage.
Nathanael was well read in the Law, and therefore the word
Nazareth (Philip having said that he had found Jesus of
Nazareth) immediately raises his hopes, and he exclaims,
Something good can come out of Nazareth. He had searched
the Scriptures, and knew, what the Scribes and Pharisees
could not, that the Saviour was to be expected thence.
Alcuin. He who alone is absolutely holy, harmless, unde-
Isaiafa filed ; of whom the prophet saith, There shall come forth
lhl- a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch (Nazarceus) shall
grow out of his roots. Or the words may be taken as ex-
Chrvs pressing doubt, and asking the question. Chrys. Nathanael
Hom. knew from the Scriptures, that Christ was to come from
Micah" Bethlehem, according to the prophecy of Micah, And thou,
5j 2- Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, — out of thee shall come a
Governor, that shall ride my people Israel. On hearing of
Nazareth, then, he doubted, and was not able to reconcile
Philip's tidings with prophecy. For the Prophets call Him a
Nazarene, only in reference to His education and mode of
life. Observe, however, the discretion and gentleness with
which he communicates his doubts. He does not sav, Thou
deceivest me, Philip ; but simply asks the question, Can any
good thing come out of Nazareth ? Philip too in turn is
equally discrete. He is not confounded by the question, but
dwells upon it, and lingers in the hope of bringing him to
Christ: Philip saith unto him, Come and see. He takes
him to Christ, knowing that when he had once tasted of
His words and doctrine, he will make no more resistance.
47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith
of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no
guile !
46. Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest
thou me ? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before
that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig
tree, I saw thee..
Horn,
xix.
VER. 47 — 51. ST. JOHN. 75
49. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi,
thou art the Son of God ; thou art the King of Israel.
50. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I
said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest
thou ? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the
angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son
of man.
Chrys. Nathanael, in difficulty as to Christ coming out Chrys.
of Nazareth, shewed the care with which he had read the
Scriptures : his not rejecting the tidings when brought him,
shewed his strong desire for Christ's coming. He thought
that Philip might be mistaken as to the place. It follows,
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him,
Behold an Israelite indeed, in idiom is no guile! There
wTas no fault to be found with him, though he had spoken
like one who did not believe, because he was more deeply
read in the Prophets than Philip. He calls him guileless,
because he had said nothing to gain favour, or gratify malice.
Aug. What meaneth this, In whom is no guile ? Had he no Aug.
sin? Was no physician necessary for him ? Far from it. No^rjJ '
one was ever born, of a temper not to need the Physician.
It is guile, when we say one thing, and think another. How
then was there no guile in him ? Because, if he was a sinner,
he confessed his sin ; whereas if a man, being a sinner,
pretends to be righteous, there is guile in his mouth. Our
Lord then commended the confession of sin in Nathanael ;
He did not pronounce him not a sinner. Theophyl. Na-
thanael however, notwithstanding this praise, does not
acquiesce immediately, but waits for further evidence, and
asks, Whence knowest Thou me ? Chrys. He asks as man, chrys.
Jesus answers as God : Jesus answered and said unto him, ^om-
Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast tinder the
Jig tree, I saiv thee: not having beheld him as man, but as
God discerning him from above. / saw thee, He says, that
is, the character of thy life, when thou ivast under the fig tree:
where the two, Philip and Nathanael, had been talking to-
XX.
?G GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
gether alone, nobody seeing them ; and on this account it is
said, that on seeing him a long way off, He said, Behold an
Israelite indeed ; whence it appears that this speech was
before Philip came near, so that no suspicion could attach
to Christ's testimony. Christ would not say, I am not of
Nazareth, as Philip told you, but of Bethlehem ; in order to
uuQiff- avoid an argument: and because it would not have been
uoVxi- sufficient proof, had He mentioned it, of His being the
y°v- Christ. He preferred rather proving this by His having
Aug. been present at their conversation. Aug. Has this fig tree
c. 21. ' an)r meaning? We read of one fig tree which was cursed,
because it had only leaves, and no fruit. Again, at the
creation, Adam and Eve, after sinning, made themselves
aprons of fig leaves. Fig leaves then signify sins ; and
Nathauael, when he was under the fig tree, was under the
shadow of death : so that our Lord seemeth to say, O Israel,
whoever of you is without guile, O people of the Jewish
faith, before that I called thee by My Apostles, when thou
wert as yet under the shadow of death, and sawest Me not, I
Greg, saw thee. Greg. When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw
Mor.'c. thee: i. e. when thou wast yet under the shade of the lawr, I
xxx via. cft0Se thee. Aug. Nathanael remembered that he had been
Aug. under the fig tree, where Christ was not present corporeally,
jS™' but only by His spiritual knowledge. Hence, knowing that he
(122.) had been alone, he recognised our Lord's Divinity. Chrys.
Chrys. That our Lord then had this knowledge, had penetrated
xx. into his mind, had not blamed but praised his hesitation,
proved to Nathanael that He was the true Christ : Nathanael
answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of
God, Thou art the King of Israel : as if he said, Thou art He
who was expected, thou art He who was sought for. Sure
proof being obtained, he proceeds to make confession ;
herein shewing his devotion, as his former hesitation had
Horn, shewn his diligence. Id. Many when they read this passage,
xx!) i."are perplexed at finding that, whereas Peter was pronounced
blessed for having, after our Lord's miracles and teaching,
confessed Him to be the Son of God, Nathanael, who makes
the same confession before, has no such benediction. The
reason is this. Peter and Nathanael both used the same
words, but not in the same meaning. Peter confessed our
VER. 47 — 51. ST. JOHN. 77
Lord to be the Son of God, in the sense of very God ; the
latter in the sense of mere man ; for after saying, Thou art
the Son of God, he adds, Thou art the King of Israel ;
whereas the Son of God was not the King of Israel only, but
of the whole world. This is manifest from what follows.
For in the case of Peter Christ added nothing, but, as if his
faith were perfect, said, that he would build the Church upon
his confession ; whereas Nathanael, as if his confession were
very deficient, is led up to higher things : Jesus answered
and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee
under the fig tree, believest thou ? Thou shalt see greater
things than these. As if He said, What I have just said has
appeared a great matter to thee, and thou hast confessed Me to
be King of Israel ; what wilt thou say when thou seest
greater things than these ? What that greater thing is He
proceeds to shew : And He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the
angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
man. See how He raises him from earth for a while, and
forces him to think that Christ is not a mere man : for how
could He be a mere man, whom angels ministered to ?
It was, as it were, saying, that He was Lord of the Angels ;
for He must be the King's own Son, on whom the servants
of the King descended and ascended ; descended at His
crucifixion, ascended at His resurrection and ascension.
Angels too before this came and ministered unto Him,
and angels brought the glad tidings of His birth. Our Lord
made the present a proof of the future. After the powers He
had already shewn, Nathanael would readily believe that
much more would follow. Aug. Let us recollect the Old Aug. in
Testament account. Jacob saw in a dream a ladder pom.'
reaching from earth to heaven ; the Lord resting upon
it, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. Lastly,
Jacob himself understanding what the vision meant, set Gen. 28,
up a stone, and poured oil upon it. When he anointed the *2-
stone, did he make an idol ? No : he only set up a
symbol, not an object of worship. Thou seest here the
anointing ; see the Anointed also. He is the stone which
the builders refused. If Jacob, who was named Israel, saw
the ladder, and Nathanael was an Israelite indeed, there was
78 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. CHAP. I.
a fitness in our Lord telling him Jacob's dream ; as if he
said, Whose name thou art called by, his dream hath
appeared unto thee : for thou shalt see the heaven open, and
the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
man. If they descend upon Him, and ascend to Him,
then He is both up above and here below at the same
Aug. time ; above in Himself, below in His members. Aug.
inJoan Good preachers, however, who preach Christ, are as angels
c-23. of God; i. e. they ascend and descend upon the Son of
2 Cor. man ; as Paul, who ascended to the third heaven, and
12 2
l Cor. descended so far even as to give milk to babes. He saith,
3> 2- We shall see greater things than these : because it is a
greater thing that our Lord has justified us, whom He hath
called, than that He saw us lying under the shadow of
death. For had we remained where He saw us, what profit
c 17. would it have been ? It is asked why Nathanael, to whom
our Lord bears such testimony, is not found among the
twelve Apostles. We may believe, however, that it was
because he was so learned, and versed in the law, that our
Lord had not put him among the disciples. He chose the
foolish, to confound the world. Intending to break the neck
of the proud, He sought not to gain the fisherman through
the orator, but by the fisherman the emperor. The great
Cyprian was an orator ; but Peter was a fisherman before
him ; and through him not only the orator, but the emperor,
believed.
CHAP. II.
1. And the third day there was a marriage in Cana
of Galilee ; and the mother of Jesus was there :
2. And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to
the marriage.
3. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus
saith unto him, They have no wine.
4. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do
with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
Chrys. Our Lord being known in Galilee, they invite Chrys.
Him to a marriage : And the third day there was a marriage^^ ,
in Cana of Galilee. Alcuin. Galilee is a province; Canaxx.)i.
a village in it. Chrys. They invite our Lord to the mar- Chrys.
riage, not as a great person, but merely as one they knew, ^jmj
one of the many; for which reason the Evangelist says,
And the mother of Jesus was there. As they invited the
mother, so they invited the Son : and therefore, Jesus was
called, and His disciples to the marriage : and He came, as
caring more for our good, than His own dignity. He who
disdained not to take upon Him the form of a servant, dis-
dained not to come to the marriage of servants. Aug. Let Aug.
the proud man blush to see the humility of God. Lo, Dom^r
among other things, the Son of the Virgin comes to a mar- Se.rm-
riage ; He who, when He was with the Father, instituted
marriage. Bede. His condescension in coming to the mar- ee(je.
riage, and the miracle He wrought there, are, even consider- Hom-
.,, , n 2d Sunn.
ing them in the letter only, a strong confirmation of the after
faith. Therein too are condemned the errors of Tatian, Marcion, EP1Pb-
and others who detract from the honour of marriage. For
if the undefiled bed, and the marriage celebrated with due
chastity, partook at all of sin, our Lord would never have
80 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IT.
corne to one. Whereas now, conjugal chastity being good,
the continence of widows better, the perfection of the virgin
state best, to sanction all these degrees, but distinguish the
merit of each, He deigned to be born of the pure womb of
the Virgin ; was blessed after birth by the prophetic voice of
the widow Anna ; and now invited in manhood to attend the
celebration of a marriage, honours that also by the presence of
£ug\.. His goodness. Aug. What marvel, if He went to that house
Tr. Tin. °
c 4. to a marriage, Who came into this world to a marriage. For
here He has His spouse whom He redeemed with His own
blood, to whom He gave the pledge of the Spirit, and whom
He united to Himself in the womb of the Virgin. For the
Word is the Bridegroom, and human flesh the bride, and
both together are one Son of God and Son of man. That
womb of the Virgin Mary is His chamber, from which he
Ps.19,5. went forth as a bridegroom. Bede. Nor is it without some
inloc. mysterious allusion, that the marriage is related as taking
place on the third day. The first age of the world, before
the giving of the Law, was enlightened by the example of the
Patriarchs ; the second, under the Law, by the writings of
the Prophets ; the third, under grace, by the preaching of the
Evangelists, as if by the light of the third day ; for our
Lord had now appeared in the flesh. The name of the place
too where the marriage was held, Cana of Galilee, which
means, desire of migrating, has a typical signification, viz.
that those are most worthy of Christ, who burn with devotional
desires, and have known the passage from vice to virtue,
from earthly to eternal things. The wine was made to fail,
to give our Lord the opportunity of making better ; that so the
glory of God in man might be brought out of its hiding place :
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto
Chrvs. Him, They have no wine, Chrys. But how came it
Hom. jnt0 fag mother's mind to expect so great a thing from her
Son ? for he had done no miracle as yet : as we read afterwards,
This beginning of miracles did Jesus. His real nature,
however, was beginning now to be revealed by John, and
His own conversations with His disciples ; besides that
His conception, and the circumstances of His birth, had
from the first given rise to high expectations in her mind:
Luke 2, as Luke tells us, His mother kept all these sayings in her
51.
VER. 1 4. ST. JOHN. 81
heart. Why then did she never ask Him to work a miracle
before ? Because the time had now come that He should
be made known. Before He had lived so much like an
ordinary person, that she had not had the confidence to ask
Him. But now that she heard that John had borne witness
to Him, and that He had disciples, she asks Him confidently.
Alcuin. She represents here the Synagogue, which chal-
lenges Christ to perform a miracle. It was customary with
the Jews to ask for miracles.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with
thee ? Aug. Some who derogate from the Gospel, and say Aug-,
that Jesus was not born of the Virgin Mary, try to draw an c# '5
argument for their error from this place ; for, how, say they,
could she be His mother to whom He said, What have I to
do with thee ? Now who is it who gives this account, and
on whose authority do we believe it ? The Evangelist John.
But he himself says, The mother of Jesus was there. Why
should He sav it, unless both were true. But did He there-
fore come to the marriage to teach men to despise their
mother ? Chrys. That He greatly venerated His mother, we Chiys.
know from St. Luke, who tells us that He was subject unto His Ho.ra; ,
XXI. (z\,
parents. For where parents throw no obstacle in the way ofxx.) 2.'
God's commands, it is our duty to be subject to them ; but
when they demand any thing at an unseasonable time, or cut us
off from spiritual things, we should not be deceived into com-
pliance. Aug. To mark a distinction between His Godhead Aug. de
and manhood, that according to His manhood He was f YmboA°
7 °# oerm.n.
inferior and subject, but according to His Godhead supreme, c 14.
He saith, Woman, what have I to do icith thee? Chrys/0, ^
And for another reason, viz. to prevent any suspicion attach- Hom.
ing to His miracles : for these it was proper should be asked XX1- (al-
for by those who wanted them, not by His mother. He
wished to shew them that He would perform all in their
proper time, not all at once, to prevent confusion ; for He
saith, Mine hour is not yet come ; i. e. I am not yet known to xxii.(al.
the persons present; nay, they know not that the wine bath3
failed ; let them find out that first ; he who perceives not
his want beforehand, will not perceive when his want is A
supplied. Aug. Or it was because our Lord as God had not Tr. viii.
a mother, though as man He had, and the miracle He was s'e^
q sparsim
82 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IT.
about to work was the act of His Divinity, not of human
infirmity. When therefore His mother demanded a miracle,
He, as though not acknowledging a human birth, when
about to perform a divine work, said, Woman, what have I
to do with thee? As if He said, Thou didst not beget that
in Me, which works the miracle, My Divinity. (She is called
woman, with reference to the female sex, not to any injury
of her virginity.) But because thou broughtest forth My
infirmity, I will acknowledge thee then, when that very in-
firmity shall hang on the cross. And therefore He adds, Mine
hour is not yet come: as if to say, I will acknowledge thee
when the infirmity, of which thou art the mother, shall hang
from the cross. He commended His mother to the disciple,
when about to die, and to rise again, before her death. But
note ; just as the Manicheans have found an occasion of error
and pretext for their faithlessness in our Lord's word, What
have I to do with thee ? in the same way the astrologers
support theirs from the words, Mine hour is not yet come.
For, say they, if Christ had not been under the power of fate,
He would never have said this. But let them believe what God
John^ says below, / have power to lay it (my life) down, and I
have power to take it again: and then let them ask, why
He says, Mine hour is not yet come: nor let them on such a
ground subject the Creator of heaven to fate; seeing that,
even were there a fatalitv in the stars, the Maker of the stars
could not be under the dominion of the stars. And not
only had Christ nothing to do with fate, as ye call it ; but
neither hast thou, or any other man. Wherefore said He
then, Mine hour is not yet come? Because He had the
power to die when He pleased, but did not think it expe-
dient yet to exert the power. He was to call the disciples,
to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven, to do marvellous works,
to approve His divinity by miracles, His humility by par-
taking of the sufferings of our mortal state. And when He
had done all, then the hour was come, not of destiny, but of
will, not of obligation, but of power.
5. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever
he saith unto vou, do it.
6. And there were set there six waterpots of stone,
10, is.
VER. O — 11. ST. JOHN. 83
after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, contain-
ing two or three firkins apiece.
7. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with
water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and
bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare
it.
9. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water
that was made wine, and knew not whence it was :
(but the servants which drew the water knew;) the
governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10. And saith unto him, Every man at the begin-
ning doth set forth good wine ; and when men have
well drunk, then that which is worse : but thou hast
kept the good wine until now.
11. This beginning; of miracles did Jesus in Cana
of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory ; and his
disciples believed on him.
Chrys. Although He had said, Mine hour is not yet come, Chrys.
He afterwards did what His mother told Him, in order to ™' ,
xxn.(al.
shew plainly, that He was not under subjection to the hour, xxi.) l.
For if He was, how could He have done this miracle before
the hour appointed for it? In the next place, He
wished to shew honour to His mother, and make it appear
that He did not go counter to her eventually. He would
not put her to shame in the presence of so many ; especially
as she had sent the servants to Him, that the petition might
come from a number, and not from herself only; His mot Iter
saith unto the servants, Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.
Bede; As if she said, Though He appear to refuse, He willBede. in
do it nevertheless. She knew His pity and mercifulness.
And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the
manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three
firkins apiece. Hydriae1 are vessels to hold water: hydori ^;-l#
being the Greek for water. Alcuin. Vessels to hold water
were there, after the manner of the purifying of Jews.
Among other traditions of the Pharisees, they observed frc-
g2
84 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
Chrys. quent washings. Ciirys. Palestine being a dry country,
xxii.(al. wit-h few fountains or wells, they used to fill waterpots with
xxi ) 2. Water, to prevent the necessity of going to the river, if they
were unclean, and to have materials for washing at hand. To
prevent any unbeliever from suspecting that a very thin wine
was made by the dregs having been left in the vessels, and
water poured in upon them, He says expressly, According
to the wanner of the purifying of the Jews: which shews
Aug. that those vessels were never used to hold wine. Aug. A
It* iv
c ^ * firkin is a certain measure; as urn, amphora, and the like.
1 pirn- Metron is the Greek for measure : whence rnetretae \ Two
kin' ' or three, ls not to De taken to mean some holding two, others
three, but the same vessels holding two or three.
Jesus saith unto then?, Fill the waterpots with water* And
Chrys. they filled them up to the brim. Chrys. But why did He
^^f*o not work the miracle before thev had filled the waterpots,
which would have been much more wonderful ; inasmuch as
it is one thing to change the quality of some existing
substance, another to make it that substance out of nothing?
The latter miracle would be the more wonderful, but the
former would be the more easy of belief. And this principle
often acts as a check, to moderate the greatness of our
Lord's miracles : He wishes to make them more credible,
therefore He makes them less marvellous; a refutation this
of the perverse doctrine of some, that He was a different Being
from the Maker of the world. For we see He performs
most of His miracles upon subject-matter already existing,
whereas were He contrary to the Creator of the world, He
would not use a material thus alien, to demonstrate His own
power, He did not draw out the water Himself which He
made wine, but ordered the servants to do so. This was for
the sake of having witnesses of the miracle ; And He saith
nnto then?, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the
feast. Alcuin. The Triclinium is a circle of three couches,
dine signifying couch : the ancients used to recline upon
couches. And the Architriclinus is the one at the head of the
Triclinium, i. e. the chief of the guests. Some say that
among the Jews, He was a priest, and attended the marriage
in order to instruct in the duties of the married state.
Horn. Chrys. Or thus; It might be said that the guests were
xxii. 2.
VER. 5 — 11. ST. JOHN. 85
drunken, and could not, in the confusion of their senses, tell
whether it were water or wine. But this objection could not
be brought against the attendants, who must have been sober,
being occupied wholly in performing the duties of their
service gracefully and in order. Our Lord therefore bid the
attendants hear unto the governor of the feast ; who again
would of course be perfectly sober. He did not say, Give to
the guests to drink. Hilary ; Water is poured into the Hilar.
waterpots ; wine is drawn out into the chalices; the senses xrjne
of the drawer out agree not with the knowledge of thec-5-
pourer in. The pourer in thinks that water is drawn out ;
the drawer out thinks that wine was poured in. Wlien the
ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine,
and knew not whence it was, (but the servants who drew the
water knew.) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom.
It was not a mixture, but a creation : the simple nature of
water vanished, and the flavour of wine was produced; not
that a weak dilution was obtained, by means of some strong
infusion, but that which was, was annihilated ; and that
which was not, came to be. Chrys. Our Lord wished the Chrys.
power of His miracles to be seen gradually ; and therefore x^ ™2
He did not reveal what He had done Himself, nor did the 3-
ruler of the feast call upon the servants to do so ; (for no
credit would have been given to such testimony concerning
a mere man, as our Lord was supposed to be,) but He called
the bridegroom, who was best able to see what was done.
Christ moreover did not only make wine, but the best wine.
And (the ruler of the feast) saith unto him, Every man at
the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have
well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept
the good wine until now. The effects of the miracles of
Christ are more beautiful and better than the productions of
nature. So then that the water was made wine, the servants
could testify ; that it was made good wine, the ruler of the
feast and the bridegroom. It is probable that the bride-
groom made some answer ; but the Evangelist omits it, only
mentioning what it was necessary for us to know, viz. the
water being made wine. He adds, This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee. It was very ne- Horn,
cessary to work miracles just then, when His devoted xxni'
$6 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
disciples were all collected, and present at the place,
Horn, attending to what was going on. Id. Should any say that
xx* there is not sufficient proof of this being the beginning of
miracles, because it is added, in Cana of Galilee, as if some
had been preferred elsewhere : we answer, as we did before,
c 1. that John says below, That He might be made manifest
Hom. to Israel, therefore have I come baptizing. Now if He
had performed miracles in the earlier part of His life, the
Jews would not have wanted another person to point Him
out. If our Lord in a short time became so distinguished
for the number of His miracles, that His Name was known
to every one, would He not have been much more so, had
He worked miracles from His earliest years ? for the things
themselves would have been the more extraordiuary,beingper-
formed by a Child, and in so long a time must have become
notorious. It was fit and proper however that He should not
begin to work miracles at so early an age : for men would have
thought the Incarnation a phantasy, and in the extremity of
envy would have delivered Him to be crucified before the
Aug. appointed time. Aug. This miracle of our Lord's, turning
the water into wine, is no miracle to those who know that
God worked it. For the Same that day made wine in the
waterpots, Who every year makes wine in the vine : only
the latter is no longer wonderful, because it happens uni-
formly. And therefore it is that God keeps some extraordinary
acts in store for certain occasions, to rouse men out of their
lethargy, and make them worship Him. Thus it follows,
He manifested forth His glory. Alcuin. He was the King
of glory, and changed the elements because He was their
Chrys. Lord. Chrys. He manifests His glory, as far as related to
xxiii. l. His own act ; and if at the time many knew it not, yet was
it afterwards to be heard and known of all. And His
disciples believed on Him, It was probable that these
would believe more readily, and give more attention to what
Aug. de went on. Aug. If now for the first time they believed on Him,
■p°°s* they were not His disciples when they came to the marriage.
1. ii c. This however is a form of speech, such as saying that the
(38.) Apostle Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia; not meaning by
this that he was an Apostle then. In the same way when
we hear of Christ's disciples being invited to the marriage,
VEU. 5—11. ST. JOHN. 87
we should understand not disciples already, but who were to
be disciples. Aug. But see the mysteries which lie hid in that Aug.
miracle of our Lord. It was necessary that all things should c. r5ix
be fulfilled in Christ which were written of Him : those
Scriptures were the water. He made the water wine when
He opened unto them the meaning of these things, and ex-
pounded the Scriptures ; for thus that came to have a taste
which before had none, and that inebriated, which did not
inebriate before. Bede; At the time of our Lord's appearing BeJe. in
in the flesh, the sweet vinous taste of the law had beenv'
weakened by the carnal interpretations of the Pharisees. Aug. Aug.
Now if He ordered the water to be poured out, and then intro- . r* 1X*
r o. et sq.
ducedthe wine from the hidden recesses1 of creation, He would Minibus
seem to have rejected the Old Testament. But converting,
as He did, the water into wine, He shewed us that
the Old Testament was from Himself, for it was by His order
that the waterpots were filled. But those Scriptures have
no meaning, if Christ be not understood there. Now we
know from what time the law dates, viz. from the foundation
of the world. From that time to this are six ages ; the first,
reckoning from Adam to Noah ; the second, from Noah to
Abraham; the third, from Abraham to David; the fourth, from
David to the carrying away into Babylon ; the fifth, from
that time to John the Baptist ; the sixth, from John the
Baptist to the end of the world. The six waterpots then
denote these six ages of prophecy. The prophecies are
fulfilled ; the waterpots are full. But what is the meaning
of their holding two or three firkins apiece ? Had He said
three only, our minds would have run immediately to the
mystery of the Trinity. Nor perhaps can we reject it, even
though it is said, two or three : for the Father and the Son
being named, the Holy Ghost may be understood by con-
sequence ; inasmuch as it is the love between the Father and
the Son, which is the Holy Ghost. Nor should we pass. c 27,
over another interpretation, which makes the two firkins
alluded to the two races of men, the Jews and the Greeks ;
and the three to the three sons of Noah. Alcuin. The
servants are the doctors of the New Testament, who interpret
the holy Scripture to others spiritually ; the ruler of the
feast is some lawyer, as Nicodemus, Gamaliel, or Said.
88 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
When to the former then is committed the word of the
Gospel, hid under the letter of the law, it is the water made
wine, being set before the ruler of the feast. And the three
1 Tricli- rows ! of guests at table in the house of the marriage are
three properly mentioned ; the Church consisting of three orders
couches, of believers, the married, the continent, and the doctors.
'Christ has kept the good wine until now, i. e. He has deferred
the Gospel till this, the sixth age.
12. After this he went down to Capernaum, he,
and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples :
and they continued there not many clays.
13. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem.
Chrys. Chrys. Our Lord being about shortly to go up to Jeru-
xxiii. salem, proceeded to Capernaum, that Fie might not take His
mother and brethren every where about with Him : After
this he went down to Capernaum, He, and His mother, and
His brethren, and His disciples, and they continued there not
Aug. many days. Aug. The Lord our God is He, high, that He
joan']" mignt create us; low, that He might create us anew; walk-
2. ing among men, suffering what was human, hiding what was
divine. So He hath a mother, hath brethren, hath disciples:
whence He hath a mother, thence hath He brethren. Scrip-
ture frequently gives the name of brethren, not to those only
Avho are born of the same womb, or the same father, but to
those of the same generation, cousins by the father's or
mother's side. Those who are unacquainted with this way of
speaking, ask, Whence hath our Lord brothers? Did Mary
bring forth again ? That could not be : with her commenced
the dignity of the virgin state. Abraham was uncle of Lot,
and Jacob was nephew to Laban the Syrian. Yet Abraham
and Lot are called brethren ; and likewise Jacob and Laban.
Alcdin. Our Lord's brethren are the relations of Mary and
Joseph, not the sons of Mary and Joseph. For not only the
fi/cons. blessed Virgin, but Joseph also, the witness of her chastity, ab-
Ev.e.ii. stained from all conjugal intercourse. Aug. And His disciples ;
c . x vi i
(39.) it is uncertain whether Peter and Andrew and the sons of
VER. 12, 13. ST. JOHN. 89
Zebedee, were of their number or not at this time. For
Matthew first relates that our Lord came and dwelt at
Capernaum, and afterwards that He called those disciples
from their boats, as they were fishing. Is Matthew perhaps
supplying what he had omitted? For without any mention
that it was at a subsequent time, be says, Jesus walking by Matt. 4,
the sea of Galilee saw two brethren. Or is it better to sup-
pose that these were other disciples ? For the writings of
the Evangelists and Apostles, call not the twelve only, but
all who believing in God were prepared for the kingdom of
heaven by our Lord's teaching, disciples3. How is it too id. cap.
that our Lord's journey to Galilee is placed here before John
the Baptist's imprisonment b, when Matthew says, Now when
Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed
into Galilee: and Mark the same? Luke too, though he
says nothing of John's imprisonment, yet places Christ's
visit to Galilee after His temptation and baptism0, as the
two former do. We should understand then that the three
Evangelists are not opposed to John, but pass over our
Lord's first coming into Galilee after his baptism ; at which
time it was that He converted the water into wine. Euseb. Euseb.
When copies of the three Gospels had come to the Evan-^c**
gelist John, he is reported, while he confirmed their fidelity iii.c. 24.
and correctness, to have at the same time noticed some
omissions, especially at the opening of our Lord's ministry.
Certain it is that the first three Gospels seem only to contain
the events of the year in which John the Baptist was im-
prisoned, and put to death. And therefore John, it is said,
was asked to write down those acts of our Saviour's before
the apprehension of the Baptist, which the former Evan-
gelists had passed over. Any one then, by attending, will
» This supposition agrees best with was baptizing in Enon, near to Salim,
what follows, which makes out the visit because there was much water there :
to Galilee, in St. Matthew, St. Mark, and they came and were baptized. For
and St. Luke, to be the second visit. John was not yet cast into prison."
For they all mention the calling of the c Comparing Matt. 4, 12. Mark J,
Apostles as taking place in this visit; 14. Luke 4, 13. 14. it is evident that
which calling therefore had not taken the order of events in the three is ex-
place at the time of this first visit, actly the same; excepting that St.
which St. John is relating now. And Luke omits the mention of John the
it is difficult to imagine that in all three Baptist's imprisonment. The visit to
this mention is parenthetical and out of Galilee in St. Luke is meant to be after
the order of time. John's imprisonment, though that event
b John 3, 23. 24. And John also has not been mentioned.
90 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
find that the Gospels do not disagree, but that John is re-
lating the events of a different date, from that which the others
Chrys. refer to. Chrys. He did not perform any miracle at Caper-
xxiii.l. naum, the inhabitants of which city were in a very corrupt
state, and not well disposed to Him ; He went there however,
and stayed some time out of respect to His mother J. Blde ;
He did not stay many days there, on account of the Passover,
which was approaching: And the Jews" passover was at
Orig. hand. Origen; But what need of saying, of the Jews,
torn. x. wnen n0 other nation had the rite of the Passover? Perhaps6
in Joan. * m
c. 14. because there are two sorts of-Passover, one human, which is
celebrated in a way very different from the design of Scrip-
ture ; another the true and Divine, which is kept in spirit
and in truth. To distinguish it then from the Divine, it is
said, of the Jews.
Alcuin. And He went up to Jerusalem. The Gospels
mention two journeys of our Lord to Jerusalem, one in the
first year of His preaching, before John was sent to prison,
which is the journey now spoken of; the other in the year of
His Passion. Our Lord has set us here an example. of careful
obedience to the Divine commands. For if the Son of God
fulfilled the injunctions of His own law, by keeping the
festivals, like the rest, with what holy zeal should we ser-
Oriff t'ants prepare for and celebrate them ? Origen ; In a mys-
tom. x. tical sense, it was meet that after the marriage in Cana of
Galilee, and the banquet and wine, our Lord should take
His mother, brethren, and disciples to the land of conso-
lation (as Capernaum signifies *) to console, by the fruits that
were to spring up and by abundance of fields, those who
d Whom, St. Chrys. adds, He was why is it, went down, and not went
about to leave behind when He went to up? Perhaps his ' brethren' are here
Jerusalem. to be understood of those powers who
e Origen literally, It is called the went down with Him, not being called
Jews', as opposed to the Lord's Passover, to the marriage, according to the inter-
For as the Jews had made His Father's pretation we have mentioned, but re-
house an house of merchandize, notsanc- ceiving lower and inferior benefit from
tifying it, so had they made the Lord's them ; and of another sort from those
passover a human, a Jewish passover, called the disciples of Christ. ForifHis
choosingthat which was low and carnal, mother be invited, there are i-ome bear-
f Origen literally, that He might ing fruit, whom our Lord Himself
console His disciples, and the soul that goes down to help with the ministers of
conceived Him of the Holy Ghost, or the Word, and His disciples; His
them who were there benefited with mother too accompanying The inter-
the fruits that were to spring up pretation to which Origen refers is
in their full [replenished] land. And lost.
c. 6, 7.
VER. 14 17. ST. JOHN. 01
received His discipline, and the mind which had conceived
Him by the Holy Ghost; and who were there to be holpen.
For some there are bearing fruit, to whom our Lord Himself
comes down with the ministers of His word and disciples,
helping such, His mother being present. Those however
who are called to Capernaum, do not seem capable of His
presence long : that is, a land which admitteth lower conso-
lation, is not able to take in the enlightenment, from many
doctrines ; being capable to receive few only. Alcuin. Or
Capernaum, we may interpret " a most beautiful village," and
so it signifies the world, to which the Word of the Father came
down. Bedk; But He continued there only a few days,
because he lived with men in this world only a short time.
Origen; Jerusalem, as our Saviour Himself saith, is the city Orig.
of the great King, into which none of those who remain onfon}'x'
° o' in Joan.
earth ascend, or enter. Only the soul which has a certain c. 16.
natural loftiness, and clear insight into things invisible, is the
inhabitant of that city. Jesus alone goes up thither g. But His
disciples seem to have been present afterwards. The zeal of
Thine house hath eaten me up. But it is as though in every
one of the disciples who went up, it was Jesus who went up.
14. And found in the temple those that sold oxen
and sheep and doves, and the changers of money
sitting :
15. And when he had made a scourge of small
cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the
sheep, and the oxen ; and poured out the changers'
money, and overthrew the tables;
16. And said unto them that sold doves, Take these
things hence ; make not my Father's house an house
of merchandise.
17. And his disciples remembered that it was
written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
Bede; Our Lord on coming to Jerusalem, immediately
S He, and His mother, and disciples, went down to Capernaum. Here Jesus
went to the marriage : He, and His alone is mentioned. — Orig. in loo.
mother, and brethren, and disciples.
92 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
entered the temple to pray ; giving us an example that,
Mat.2l. wheresoever we go, our first visit should be to the house of
God to pray. And He found in the temple those that sold
oxen, and sheep, and doves, and the changers of money
AuS- sitting. Aug. Such sacrifices were prescribed to the people,
c 4. in condescension to their carnal minds ; to prevent them
from turning aside to idols. They sacrificed sheep, and
oxen, and doves. Bede; Those however, who came from a
distance, being unable to bring with them the animals re-
quired for sacrifice, brought the money instead. For their
convenience the Scribes and Pharisees ordered animals to be
sold in the temple, in order that, when the people had bought
and offered them afterwards, they might sell them again,
and thus make great profits. And changers of money sitting ;
changers of money sat at the table to supply change to
buyers and sellers. But our Lord disapproving of any
worldly business in His house, especially one of so question-
Aug. able a kind, drove out all engaged in it. Aug. He who was
crgX to be scourged by them, was first of all the scourger; And
when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them
all out of the temple. Theophyl. Nor did He cast out only
those who bought and sold, but their goods also : The sheep,
and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money, and
overthrew the tables, i. e. of the money changers, which were
OHg. coffers of pence. Origen; Should it appear something out
inToan. °f tfie order of things, that the Son of God should make a
c. 16. scourge of small cords, to drive them out of the temple ? We
have one answer in which some take refuge, viz. the divine
power of Jesus, Who, when He pleased, could extinguish the
wrath of His enemies however innumerable, and quiet the
Ps. 32, tumult of their minds: Tlxe Lord bringeth the counsel of the
' ' heathen to nought. This act indeed exhibits no less power,
than His more positive miracles ; nay rather, more than the
miracle by which water was converted into wine : in that
there the subject-matter was inanimate, here, the minds of so
Aus:. many thousands of men are overcome. Aug. It is evident
Ey?L£l! tnat tms was °-one on two several occasions ; the first
c 67. mentioned by John, the last by the other three. Origen;
tomfx. John says here that He drove out the sellers from the temple ;
in Joan. j\jatthew, the sellers and buyers. The number of buyers was
C. 1 /.
VER. 14 — 17. ST. JOHN. 93
much greater than of the sellers : and therefore to drive them out
was beyond the power of the carpenter's Son, as He was
supposed to be, had He not by His divine power put all
things under Him, as it is said. Bede ; The Evangelist sets
before us both natures of Christ: the human in that His
mother accompanied Him to Capernaum; the divine, in that
He said, Make not My Father's house an house of merchan-
dize. Chrys. Lo, He speaks of God as His Father, and they Chrys.
are not angry, for they think He means it in a common xxjii'in
sense. But afterwards when He spoke more openly, and Joan-
shewed that He meant equality, they were enraged. In
Matthew's account too, on driving them out, He says, Ye have c- xxi»
made it (31y Father's house) a den of thieves. This was justxxii. 13.
before His Passion, and therefore He uses severer language.
But the former being at the beginning of His miracles, His
answer is milder and more indulgent. Aug. So that temple Aug.
was still a figure only, and our Lord cast out of it all who ri
came to it as a market. And what did they sell ? Things c. 4.
that were necessary for the sacrifice of that time. What if
He had found men drunken ? If the house of God ought
not to be a house of merchandize, ought ^ to be a house of
drunkenness ? Chrys. But why did Christ use such violence ? Chrys.
He was about to heal on the Sabbath day, and to do many xx°™*2
things which appeared to them transgressions of the Law.
That He might not appear therefore to be acting contrary to
God, He did this at His own peril ; and thus gave them to
understand, that He who exposed Himself to such peril to
defend the decency of the house, did not despise the Lord of
that house. For the same reason, to shew His agreement
with God, He said not, the Holy house, but, My Father's
house. It follows, And His disciples remembered what teas
written ; The %eal of thine house hath eaten me up. Bede ; in loc.
His disciples seeing this most fervent zeal in Him, remem-
bered that it was from zeal for His Father's house that our
Saviour drove the ungodly from the temple. Alcuin. Zeal,
taken in a good sense, is a certain fervour of the Spirit, by
which the mind, all human fears forgotten, is stirred up to the
defence of the truth. Aug. He then is eaten up with zeal Aug.
for God's house, who desires to correct all that he scesrV*'
wrong there ; and, if he cannot correct, endures and
94 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
mourns. Tn thine house thou busiest thyself to prevent
matters going wrong; in the house of God, where salvation
is offered, oughtest thou to be indifferent ? Hast thou a
friend ? admonish him gently ; a wife ? coerce her severely;
a maid-servant ? even compel her with stripes. Do what
thou art able, according to thy station. Alcuin. To take
the passage mystically, God enters His Church spiritually
every day, and marks each one's behaviour there. Let us be
careful then, when we are in God's Church, that we indulge
not in stories, or jokes, or hatreds, or lusts, lest on a sudden
He come and scourge us, and drive us out of His Church.
Orig. Origen ; It is possible even for the dweller in Jerusalem to
in Joan incur gullt> and even the most richly endowed may stray.
c. 16. And unless these repent speedily, they lose the capacity
wherewith they were endued. He finds them in the temple,
i. e. in sacred places, or in the office of enunciating the
Church's truths, some who make His Father's house an
house of merchandize ; i. e. who expose to sale the oxen
whom they ought to reserve for the plough, lest by turning
back they should become unfit for the kingdom of God:
also who prefer the unrighteous mammon to the sheep, from
which they have the material of ornament ; also who for
miserable gain abandon the watchful care of them who are
called metaphorically doves, without all gall or bitterness11.
Our Saviour finding these in the holy house, maketh a scourge
of small cords, and driveth them out, together with the sheep
and oxen exposed for sale, scatters the heaps of money,
as unbeseeming in the house of God, and overthrows the
tables set up in the minds of the covetous, forbidding them
to sell doves in the house of God any longer. I think too
that He meant the above, as a mystical intimation that
whatsoever1 was to be performed with regard to that sacred
oblation by the priests, was not to be performed after the
manner of material oblations, and that the law was not to be
observed as the carnal Jews wished. For our Lord, by
driving away the sheep and oxen, and ordering away the doves,
h Solertiam columbarum privata qui- xgornros which applies to the dove,
libet amaritudine vilipendent. The text « Orig. literally, "that the Divine
is not grammatically correct, but soler- service relating to that temple was no
tiam is plainly the reading oflvftiXuxv, longer to be performed," <fec.
and privata &c. of IrTi^yif^iiov fams vi-
VER. 14 — 17. ST. JOHN. do
which were the most common offerings among the Jews, and
bv overthrowing the tables of material coins, which in a
figure only, not in truth, bore the Divine stamp, (i. e. what ac-
cording to the letter of the law seemed good,) and when with His
own hand He scourged the people, He as much as declared that
the dispensation was to be broken up and destroyed, and the
kingdom translated to the believing from among the Gentiles.
Aug. Or, those who sell in the Church, are those who seek Aug.
Tr x
their own, not the things of Jesus Christ. They who will c# 'Q
not be bought, think thev may sell earthlv things. Thus
Simon wished to buy the Spirit, that he might sell Him :
for he was one of those who sell doves. (The Holy Spirit
appeared in the form of a dove.) The dove however is not
sold, but is given of free grace ] ; for it is called grace. Bede ; l gratis
They then are the sellers of doves, who, after receiving the^i^
free grace of the Holy Spirit, do not dispense it freely 2, as* gratis
they are commanded, but at a price : who confer the laving
on of hands, by which the Holy Spirit is received, if not for
money, at least for the sake of getting favour with the people,
who bestow Holy Orders not according to merit, but favour.
Aug. By the oxen may be understood the Apostles and Aug.
Prophets, who have dispensed to us the holy Scriptures. ix"
C • / •
Those who by these very Scriptures deceive the people,
from whoni they seek honour, sell the oxen ; and they sell
the sheep too, i. e. the people themselves; and to whom do
they sell them, but to the devil ? For that which is cut off
from the one Church, who taketh away, except the roaring 1 pet.
lion, who goeth about every where, and seeketh whom he may D> 8'
devour? Bede; Or, the sheep are works of purity and Bede.
piety, and they sell the sheep, who do works of piety to gainmloc*
the praise of men. They exchange money in the temple,
who, in the Church, openly devote themselves to secular
business. And besides those who seek for money, or praise,
or honour from Holv Orders, those too make the Lord's
house a house of merchandize, who do not employ the rank,
or spiritual grace, which they have received in the Church at
the Lord's hands, with singleness of mind, but with an eye
to human recompense. Aug. Our Lord intended a meaning Aug.
1 r x.
to be seen in His making a scourge of small cords, and then
scourging those who were carrying on the merchandize in
96 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
the temple. Every one by his sins twists for himself a cord,
in that he goes on adding sin to sin. So then when
men suffer for their iniquities, let them be sure that it is the
Lord making a scourge of small cords, and admonishing them
to change their lives : which if they fail to do, they will hear
Mat. 23. qx the last, Bind him hand and foot. Bede ; With a scourge
Bede. ? J "
in loco, then made of small cords, He cast them out of the temple ;
for from the part and lot of the saints are cast out all, who,
thrown externally among the'' Saints, do good works hypo-
critically, or bad openly. The sheep and the oxen too He
cast out, to shew that the life and the doctrine of such were
alike reprobate. And He overthrew the change heaps of the
money-changers and their tables, as a sign that, at the final
condemnation of the wicked, He will take away the form
even of those things which they loved. The sale of doves
He ordered to be removed out of the temple, because the
grace of the Spirit, being freely received, should be freely
Orig. given. Origen; By the temple we may understand too the
in^oan.8011^ wherein the Word of God dwelleth ; in which, before
c- 16- the teaching of Christ, earthly and bestial affections had
prevailed. The ox being the tiller of the soil, is the symbol
of earthly affections : the sheep, being the most irrational of
all animals, of dull ones ; the dove is the type of light and
volatile thoughts ; and money, of earthly good things ; which
money Christ cast out by the Word of His doctrine, that His
Father's house might be no longer a market.
18. Then answered the Jews and said unto him,
What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou
doest these things ?
19. Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was
this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in
three davs?
21. But he spake of the temple of his body.
22. When therefore he was risen from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this unto
VER. 19 — 2'2. ST. JOHN. 97
them : and they believed the Scripture, and the word
which Jesus had said.
Theophyl. The Jews seeing Jesus thus acting with power, hoc loco.
and having heard Him say, Make not My Father's house an
house of merchandize, ask of Him a sign; Then answered
the Jews and said unto Him, What sign shewest Tlwu unto
us, seeing that Thou doest these things? Chrys. But were Chrys.
signs necessary for His putting a stop to evil practices ? Was xxiii. 2.
not the having such zeal for the house of God, the greatest
sitni of His virtue ? They did not however remember the
prophecy, but asked for a sign ; at once irritated at the loss
of their base gains, and wishing to prevent Him from going
further. For this dilemma, they thought, would oblige Him
either to work miracles, or give up His present course. But
He refuses to give them the sign, as He did on a like
occasion, when He answers, An evil and adulterous ^ej/e- Mat.12,
ration seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign he given
it, hut the sign of Jonas the prophet; only the answer is
more open there than here. He however who even anticipated
men's wishes, and gave signs when He was not asked, would
not have rejected here a positive request, had He not seen a
crafty design in it. As it was, Jesus answered and said
unto the)??, Destroy this temple, and i?i three days I ixill
raise it up. Bede ; For inasmuch as they sought a sign
from our Lord of His right to eject the customary merchan-
dize from the temple, He replied, that that temple signified
the temple of His Body, in which was no spot of sin ; as if
He said, As by My power I purify your inanimate temple
from your merchandize and wickedness ; so the temple of
My Body, of which that is the figure, destroyed by your
hands, on the third day I will raise again. Theophyl. He
does not however provoke them to commit murder, by saying,
Destroy ; but only shews that their intentions were not hidden
from Him. Let the Arians observe how our Lord, as the
destroyer of death, says, / will raise it up ; that is to say, by
My own power. Aug. The Father also raised Him up again ; Aug-
to Whom He says, Raise Thou me up, and I shall reward Joan.
them. But what did the Father do without the Word? AsS11;,
Fs. 41,
then the Father raised Him up, so did the Son also : even asio.
H
98 OOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
Johnio, He saith below, / and My Father are one. Chrys. But
Chrys. wnv does He give them the sign of His resurrection ? Because
Tract, this was the greatest proof that He was not a mere man ;
' shewing, as it did, that He could triumph over death, and in
°ng. a moment overthrow its long tyranny. Origen. Both those,
in^oan.i- e. both the Body of Jesus and the temple, seem to me to
c- 20- be a type of the Church, which with lively stones is built up
into a spiritual house, into an holy priesthood ; according to
i Cor. St. Paul, Ye are the body of Christ, and members in
particular. And though the structure of stones seem to be
broken up, and all the bones of Christ scattered by adversities
and tribulations, yet shall the temple be restored, and raised up
again in three days, and stablishedin the new heaven and the
new earth. For as that sensible body of Christ was crucified
and buried, and afterward rose again ; so the whole body of
Christ's saints was crucified with Christ, (each glorying in
that cross, by which He Himself too was crucified to the
world,) and, after being buried with Christ, hath also risen
with Him, walking in newness of life. Yet have we not
risen yet in the power of the blessed resurrection, which is
still going on, and is yet to be completed. Whence it is not
said, On the third day / will build it up, but, in three days ;
for the erection is being in process throughout the whole of
the three days. Theophyl. The Jews, supposing that He
spoke of the material temple, scoffed : Tlien said the Jews,
Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt
Thou rear it up in three days? Alcuin. Note, that they
allude here not to the first temple under Solomon, which was
finished in seven vears, but to the one rebuilt under Zoro-
Ezra 4, babel. This was forty-six years building, in consequence of
Qri the hindrance raised by the enemies of the work. Origen.
tom. x. Or some will reckon perhaps the forty and six years from the
time that David consulted Nathan the Prophet on the build-
ing of the temple. David from that time was busy in
collecting materials. But perhaps the number forty may
with reference to the four corners of the temple allude to the
four elements of the world, and the number six, to the creation
Aug. iv. of man on the sixth day. Aug. Or it may be that this
J 9 7^; number fits in with the perfection of the Lord's Body. For
six times forty-six are two hundred and seventy-six days>
VER. 19— 22. ST. JOHN. 99
which make up nine months and six days, the time that our
Lord's Body was forming in the womb ; as we know by
authoritative traditions handed down from our fathers, and
preserved by the Church. He was, according to general
belief, conceived on the eighth of the Kalends of April, the March
day on which He suffered, and bom on the eighth of the
Kalends of January1. The intervening time contains two^0*25-
hundred and seventy-six days, i. e. six multiplied by forty-
six. Aug. The process of human conception is said to be Aug. b.
this. The first six days produce a substance like milk, which Qu^st!"
in the following nine is converted into blood ; in twelve more 2- 6- f-
is consolidated, in eighteen more is formed into a perfect set
of limbs, the growth and enlargement of which fills up the
rest of the time till the birth. For six, and nine, and twelve,
and eighteen, added together are forty-five, and with the
addition of one (which1 stands for the summing up, all these1 added
numbers being collected into one) forty-six. This multiplied s. Aug.
by the number six, which stands at the head of this calcula-
tion 2, makes two hundred and seventy-six, i. e. nine months 2 hujus
and six days. It is no unmeaning information then that theti0nST"
temple was forty and six years building ; for the temple pre- caPut
figured His Body, and as many years as the temple was in
building, so many days was the Lord's Body in forming.
Aug. Or thus, if you take the four Greek words, anatole, the Aug.
east ; dysis, the west ; arctos, the north ; and mesembria, the xr. x.
south ; the first letters of these words make Adam. And ourc- 12*
Lord says that He will gather together His saints from the
four winds, when He comes to judgment. Now these letters
of the word Adam, make up, according to Greek figuring, the
number of the years during which the temple was building.
For in Adam we have alpha, one ; delta, four ; alpha again,
one ; and mi, forty ; making up together forty-six. The
temple then signifies the body derived from Adam ; which
body our Lord did not take in its sinful state, but renewed
it, in that after the Jews had destroyed it, He raised it again
the third day. The Jews however, being carnal, understood
carnally ; He spoke spiritually. He tells us, by the Evangelist,
what temple He means; But He spake of the temple of His
Body. Theophyl. From this Apollinarius draws an heretical Theoph.
inference : and attempts to shew that Christ's flesh was fin
h 2
100 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
inanimate, because the temple was inanimate. In this way
you will prove the flesh of Christ to be wood and
stone, because the temple is composed of these materials.
Johnl2,Now if you refuse to allow what is said, Now is My soul
ib'io troubled ; and, I have power to lay it (My life) down, to be
*8. said of the rational soul, still how will you interpret, Into
23, 46. Thy hands, O Lord, I commend My spirit ? you cannot
understand this of an irrational soul : or again, the passage,
Pa. 16, 77/o?/ shalt not leave My soul in hell. OPviGEN. Our Lord's
Orig. Body is called the temple, because as the temple contained
torn. x. ihg glory of God dwelling therein, so the Body of Christ,
c. 23. which represents the Church, contains the Only -Begotten,
Chrys. "Who is the image and glory of God. Chrys. Two things
xxiii. there were in the mean time very far removed from the
in Joan, comprehension of the disciples : one, the resurrection of our
Lord's Body : the other, and the greater mystery, that it was
God who dwelt in that Bodv : as our Lord declares bv
saying, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up. And thus it follows, When therefore He had risen
from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said
this unto them : and they believed the Scripture, and the
word which Jesus had said. Alcdin. For before the resur-
rection they did not understand the Scriptures, because they
John 7, had not yet received the Holy Ghost, Who teas not yet given,
because Jesus teas not yet glorified. But on the day of the
resurrection our Lord appeared and opened their meaning to
His disciples ; that they might understand what was said of
Him in the Law and the Prophets. And then they believed
the prediction of the Prophets that Christ would rise the
third day, and the word which Jesus had spoken to them :
0rig> Destroy this temple, Sj-c. Origen. But (in the mystical
Tr. x. interpretation) we shall attain to the full measure of faith, at
the great resurrection of the whole body of Jesus, i. e. His
Church ; inasmuch as the faith which is from sight, is very
different from that which seeth as through a glass darkly.
23. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover,
in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they
saw the miracles which he did.
- ( ICHAEL'S
^\ COLLEGE /
c:
VER. 23 — 25. ST. JOHN. 101
24. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them,
because he knew all men.
25. And needed not that any should testify of man :
for he knew what was in man.
Bede. The Evangelist has related above what our Lord Bede.
did on his wav to Jerusalem : now He relates how others111
were affected towards Him at Jerusalem ; Now when He icas
in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed
in His Name, ichen they saw the miracles which He did,
Origen. But how was it that many believed on Him from Orig.
seeing His miracles? for he seems to have performed no*OI^QX'
supernatural works at Jerusalem, except we suppose Scrip-
ture to have passed them over. May not however the act of
His making a scourge of small cords, and driving all out of
the temple, be reckoned a miracle ? Chrys. Those had been Chrys.
wiser disciples, however, who were brought to Christ not by ^™\
His miracles, but by His doctrine. For it is the duller sort
who are attracted by miracles ; the more rational are con-
vinced by prophecy, or doctrine. And therefore it follows,
But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them. Aug. What Aug.
meaneth this, Many believed in His Name — but Jesus did not jn joan<
9
commit Himself unto them ? Was it that they did not believe c- 2
in Him, but only pretended that they did ? In that case the
Evangelist would not have said, Many believed in His Name.
Wonderful this, and strange, that men should trust Christ,
and Christ trusts not Himself to men ; especially considering
that He was the Son of God, and suffered voluntarily, or else
need not have suffered at all. Yet such are all catechumens.
If we say to a catechumen, Belie vest thou in Christ? he
answers, I do believe, and crosses himself. If we ask him,
Dost thou eat the flesh of the Son of man ? he knows not
what we say% for Jesus has not committed Himself to him.
Origen. Or, it was those who believed in His Name, not Orig.
on Him, to whom Jesus would not commit Himself. They ^g*
believe on Him, who follow the narrow way which leadeth unto
life ; they believe in His Name, who only believe the miracles.
Chrys. Or it means that He did not place confidence in them,chrys.
. Horn.
* Catechumens in the early Church not heing taught the mystery of the xxv# \m
Eucharist. Nic.
102 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. CHAP. II.
as perfect disciples, and did not, as if they were brethren of
confirmed faith, commit to them all His doctrines, for He
did not attend to their outward words, but entered into their
hearts, and well knew how short-lived was their zeal1. Because
He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of
man, for He knew what was in man. To know what is in
man's heart, is in the power of God alone, who fashioned
the heart. He does not want witnesses, to inform Him of
Aug- that mind, which was of His own fashioning. Aug. The
Tr. xi . .
c 2. Maker knew better what was in His own work, than the work
knew what was in itself. Peter knew not what was in himself
Luke22, when he said, I will go with Thee unto death ; but our Lord's
33
ver. 61. answer shewed that He knew what was in man ; Before the
cock crow, thou shalt thrice deny Me. Bede. An admonition
to us not to be confident of ourselves, but ever anxious and
mistrustful ; knowing that what escapes our own knowledge,
cannot escape the eternal Judge.
1 ubui rvtt vowxztgo* uvruv ho/torn ru. Aq. tempus opportunum manifeste sciens.
CHAP. III.
1. There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nico-
demus, a ruler of the Jews :
2. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto
him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come
from God : for no man can do these miracles that thou
doest, except God be with him.
3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he can-
not see the kingdom of God.
Aug. He had said above that, when He was at Jerusalem — Aug-
Tr. xi.
?nany believed in His Name, when they saw the miracles
which He did. Of this number was Nicodemus, of whom
we are told; There ivas a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus,
a rider of the Jews, Bede. His rank is given, A ruler of
the Jews ; and then what he did, This man came to Jesus by
night: hoping, that is, by so secret an interview, to learn
more of the mysteries of the faith ; the late public miracles
having given him an elementary knowledge of them. Chrys. Chrys.
As yet however he was withheld by Jewish infirmity: and^j™"^
therefore he came in the night, being afraid to come in the
day. Of such the Evangelist speaks elsewhere, Nevertheless, Johni2,
among the chief rulers also many believed on Him ; but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they
should be put out of the synagogue, Aug. Nicodemus was Aug.
one of the number who believed, but were not as yet born(. r.jx]'
again. Wherefore he came to Jesus by night. Whereas
those who are born of water and the Holy Ghost, are
addressed by the Apostle, Ye were sometimes darkness, huts.
now are ye light in the Lord. Haymo. Or, well may it be J
said that he came in the night, enveloped, as he was. in the in Oct.
P Dt.
104 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
darkness of ignorance, and not yet come to the light, i. e. the
belief that our Lord was very God. Night in the language
of Holy Writ is put for ignorance. And said unto him,
Rabbi, ice know that Thou art a teacher come from God.
The Hebrew Rabbi, has the meaning of Magister in Latin.
He calls him, we see, a Master, but not God : he does not
hint at that ; he believes Him to be sent from God, but does
Aug. not see that He is God. Aug. What the ground of his
c# £D" belief was, is plain from what immediately follows : For no
one can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be
with him. Nicodemus then was one of the many who
belie red in His Name, when they saw the signs that He did.
Chrys. Chrys. He did not however conceive anv great idea of
Horn. .
xxiv. 2. them from His miracles; and attributed to Him as yet only
mn* a human character, speaking of Him as a Prophet, sent to
execute a commission, and standing in need of assistance to
do His work; whereas the Father had begotten Him perfect,
selfsufficient, and free from all defect. It being Christ's
design however for the present not so much to reveal His
dignity, as to prove that He did nothing contrary to the
Father ; in words He is often humble, while His acts ever
testify His power. And therefore to Nicodemus on this
occasion He says nothing expressly to magnify Himself;
but He imperceptibly corrects his low views of Him, and
teaches him that He was Himself all-sufficient, and inde-
pendent in His miraculous works. Hence He answers,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again,
Aug.Tr. ]ie cannot see the kingdom of God. Aug. Those then are
xi. c. 4.
the persons to whom Jesus commits Himself, those born
again, who come not in the night to Jesus, as Nicodemus did.
Chrys. Such persons immediately make professsion. Chrys. He says
therefore, Except a man be born again, lie cannot see the
kingdom of God: as if He said, Thou art not yet born
again, i. e. of God, by a spiritual begetting ; and therefore
thy knowledge of Me is not spiritual, but carnal and human.
But I say unto thee, that neither thou, nor any one, except
he be born again of God, shall be able to see the glory
which is around me, but shall be out of the kingdom : for it
is the begetting by baptism, which enlightens the mind.
Or the meaning is, Except thou art born from above, and
Horn,
xxiv. 2
VER. 4 — 8. ST. JOHN. 105
hast received the certainty of my doctrines, thou wanderest
out of the way, and art far from the kingdom of heaven.
By which words our Lord discloses His nature, shewing that
He is more than what He appears to the outward eye. The
expression, From above*, means, according to some, from
heaven, according to others, from the beginning. Had the
Jews heard it, they would have left Him in scorn ; but Xico-
demus shews the love of a disciple, by staying to ask more
questions.
4. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be
born when he is old ? can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb, and be born ?
5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be
born again.
8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth ; so is every one that is
born of the Spirit.
Chrys. Nicodemus coming to Jesus, as to a man, isChrys.
Horn,
xxiv. 3.
startled on learning greater things than man could utter,
things too lofty for him. His mind is darkened, and he
does not stand firm, but reels like one on the point of falling
away from the faith. Therefore he objects to the doctrine
as being impossible, in order to call forth a fuller explana-
tion. Two things there are which astonish him, such a
birth, and such a kingdom ; neither yet heard of among the
Jews. First he urges the former difficulty, as being the
greatest marvel. Nicodemus saith unto liim, Hon- can a
man be born when he is old? can he enter a second tune
into his mother's womb, and be bom / Bbde. The question \\,(\e,
8 Desuper Aq. denuo Vulg. see Tr. <>T on Holy Baptism, p. 45 note.
106 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
put thus sounds as if a boy might enter a second time into
his mother's womb and be born. But Nicodemus, we must
remember, was an old man, and took his instance from him-
self; as if he said, I am an old man, and seek my salvation;
how can T enter again into my mother's womb, and be born?
Chrys. Chrys. Thou callest Him Rabbi, and sayest that He comes
xxiv. 2. from God, and yet receivest not His sayings, but usest to thy
master a word which brings in endless confusion ; for that
how, is the enquiry of a man who has no strong belief; and
many who have so enquired, have fallen from the faith ; some
asking, how God became incarnate ? others, how He was
born b ? Nicodemus here asks from anxiety. But observe
when a man trusts spiritual things to reasonings of his own,
Aug. how ridiculously he talks. Aug. It is the Spirit that
c r6.X1* speaketh, whereas he understandeth carnally ; he knew of
no birth save one, that from Adam and Eve ; from God and
the Church he knows of none. But do thou so understand
the birth of the Spirit, as Nicodemus did the birth of the
flesh ; for as the entrance into the womb cannot be repeated,
Chrys. so neither can baptism. Chrys. While Nicodemus stumbles,
Hom' a dwelling upon our birth here, Christ reveals more clearly the
manner of our spiritual birth ; Jesus answered, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the
Aug. Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Aug. As
c g* ' if He said, Thou understandest me to speak of a carnal
birth ; but a man must be born of water and of the Spirit,
if he is to enter into the kingdom of God. If to obtain the
temporal inheritance of his human father, a man must be
born of the womb of his mother; to obtain the eternal
inheritance of his heavenly Father, he must be born of the
womb of the Church. And since man consists of two parts,
body and soul, the mode even of this latter birth is twofold ;
water the visible part cleansing the body ; the Spirit by His
Chrys. invisible cooperation, changing the invisible soul. Chrys.
x^m*2 If any one asks how a man is born of water, I ask in return,
how Adam was born from the ground. For as in the
beginning though the element of earth was the subject-matter,
the man was the work of the fashioner; so now too, though
the element of water is the subject-matter, the whole work is
b So S. Chrys. and how He remained impassible. Aq.
VER. 4 — 8. ST. JOHN. 107
done by the Spirit of grace. He then gave Paradise for a
place to dwell in ; now He hath opened heaven to us. But
what need is there of water, to those who receive the Holy c. 2.
Ghost ? It carries out the divine symbols of burial, mortifica-
tion, resurrection, and life. For bv the immersion of our
heads in the water, the old man disappears and is buried
as it were in a sepulchre, whence he ascends a new
man. Thus shouldest thou learn, that the virtue of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, filleth all
things. For which reason also Christ lay three days in
the grave before His resurrection. That then which theHom.
womb is to the offspring, water is to the believer; he isxxvl
fashioned and formed in the water. But that which is
fashioned in the womb needeth time ; whereas the water
all is done in an instant. For the nature of the body is such
as to require time for its completion ; but spiritual creations
are perfect from the beginning. From the time that our
Lord ascended out of the Jordan, water produces no longer
reptiles, i. e. living souls ; but souls rational and endued
with the Spirit. Aug. Because He does not say, Except Aug.
a man be born again1 of water and of the Spirit, he shall ^'^
not have salvation, or eternal life ; but, he shall not enter per.
into the kingdom of God ; from this, some infer that children lVulg.
are to be baptized in order to be with Christ in the kingdom
of God, where they would not be, were they not baptized;
but that they will obtain salvation and eternal life even if
they die without baptism, not being bound with any chain of
sin. But why is a man born again, except to be changed
from his old into a new state ? Or why doth the image of
God not enter into the kingdom of God, if it be not by
reason of sin? Haymo. But Xicodemus being unable toHaymo.
take in so great and deep mysteries, our Lord helps him by -Tq^
the analogy of our carnal birth, saying, That ichich is born Pent.
of the flesh is flesh, and that ichich is born of the Spirit is
spirit. For as flesh generates flesh, so also doth spirit
spirit. Chrys. Do not look then for any material pro- ChryB.
duction, or think that the Spirit generates flesh ; for even the XXv"'in
Lord's flesh is generated not by the Spirit only, but also by J°an- '«
the flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spiritual.
The birth here spoken ot takes place not according to our
108 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
substance, but according to honour and grace. But the
birth of the Son of God is otherwise ; for else what would
He have been more than all who are born again ? And He
would be proved too inferior to the Spirit, inasmuch as His
birth would be by the grace of the Spirit. How does this
differ from the Jewish doctrine ? — But mark next the part
c. 1,13. of the Holy Spirit, in the divine work. For whereas above
some are said to be born of God, here, we find, the Spirit
generates them. — The wonder of Nicodemus being roused
again by the words, He who is bom of the Spirit is spirit,
Christ meets him again with an instance from nature ;
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be bom again.
The expression, Marvel not, shews that Nicodemus was
surprised at His doctrine. He takes for this instance some
thing, not of the grossness of other bodily things, but still
removed from the incorporeal nature, the wind ; The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so
is every one that is bom of the Spirit. That is to say, if no
one can restrain the wind from going where it will ; much
less can the laws of nature, whether the condition of our
natural birth, or any other, restrain the action of the Spirit.
That He speaks of the wind here is plain, from His saying,
Thou hearest the sound thereof i. e. its noise when it strikes
objects. He would not in talking to an unbeliever and
ignorant person, so describe the action of the Spirit. He
says, Bloweth where it listeth''; not meaning any power of
choice in the wind, but only its natural movements, in their
uncontrolled power. But canst not tell whence it cometh or
whither it goeth ; i. e. If thou canst not explain the action of
this wind which comes under the cognizance both of thy
feeling and hearing, why examine into the operation of the
Divine Spirit ? He adds, So is every one that is bom of the
Aug. Spirit. Aug. But who of us does not see, for example, that
r~x11' the south wind blows from south to north, another wind from
the east, another from the west ? And how then do we not
c S. Chrys. adds §. 2. that the whole borne whither it will, much more shall
applies a fortiori to the Holy Spirit ; not the laws of nature or the rules of
11 It bloweth where It listeth" is spoken earthly birth, or any thing of this sort,
also to express the power of the Spirit, hold the might of the Spirit.
If no one restrained! the wind, but it is
o
VER. 9 12. ST. JOHN. 109
know whence the wind cometh, and whither it goeth ? Bede. Bede.
It is the Holy Spirit therefore, Who bloweth where He listeth. £ jfa°rJ]'
It is in His own power to choose, whose heart to visit with invent.
His enlightening grace. And thou nearest the sound thereof. Ed.Nic!
When one filled with the Holy Spirit is present with thee
and speaks to thee. Aug. The Psalm soundeth, the Gospel Aug.
soundeth, the Divine Word soundeth ; it is the sound of the Ct '5t
Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit is invisibly present
in the Word and Sacrament, to accomplish our birth. Alcuin.
Therefore, Thou knowest not whence it cometh, or ichither it
goeth ; for, although the Spirit should possess a person in
thy presence at a particular time, it could not be seen how
He entered into him, or how He went away again, because
He is invisible. Haymo. Or, Thou canst not tell ivhence ^Haymo.
cometh ; i. e. thou knowest not how He brings believers to^0^.
the faith ; or whither it goeth, i. e. how He directs the Pent,
faithful to their hope. And so is every one that is born
of the Spirit ; as if He said, The Holy Spirit is an invisible
Spirit ; and in like manner, every one who is born of the
Spirit is born invisibly. Aug Or thus : If thou art born of Au^
!g-
the Spirit, thou wilt be such, that he, who is not yet born of
c. o.
the Spirit, will not know whence thou comest, or whither
thou goest. For it follows, So is every one that is bom of
the Spirit. Theophyl. This completely refutes Macedonius jn ioe.
the impugner of the Spirit, who asserted that the Holy Ghost
was a servant. The Holy Ghost, we find, works by His
own power, where He will, and what He will.
9. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How
can these things he?
10. Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a
master of Israel, and knowest not these things ?
11. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that
we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye re-
ceive not our witness.
12. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe
not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenlv
things.
110 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO . CHAP. III.
Haymo. Nicodemus cannot take in the mysteries of the
Divine Majesty, which our Lord reveals, and therefore asks
how it is, not denying the fact, not meaning any censure, but
wishing to be informed: Nicodemus answered and said unto
Chrys. Him, How can these things be? Chrys. Forasmuch then as
xxvi.*2. ne stiU remains a Jew, and, after such clear evidence, persists
in a low and carnal system, Christ addresses him hence-
forth with greater severity: Jesus answered and said unto
him, Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these
^US- .. things? Aug. What think we? that our Lord wished to
J. J • A. 1 1 «
c 6. insult this master in Israel ? He wished him to be born of
the Spirit: and no one is born of the Spirit except he is
made humble; for this very humility it is, which makes us
to be born of the Spirit. He however was inflated with his
eminence as a master, and thought himself of importance
because he was a doctor of the Jews. Our Lord then casts
down his pride, in order that he may be born of the Spirit.
Chrys. Chrys. Nevertheless He does not charge the man with
xxvi.2. wickedness, but only with want of wisdom, and enlighten-
ment. But some one will say, What connexion hath this
birth, of which Christ speaks, with Jewish doctrines? Thus
much. The first man that was made, the woman that
was made out of his rib, the barren that bare, the miracles
which were worked by means of water, I mean, Elijah's
bringing up the iron from the river, the passage of the
Red Sea, and Naaman the Syrian's purification in the
Jordan, were all types and figures of the spiritual birth,
and of the purification which was to take place thereby.
Many passages in the Prophets too have a hidden reference
Ps. 102, to this birth: as that in the Psalms, Making thee young
p 31 and lusty as an eagle: and, Blessed is he whose unrighteous-
l. ness is forgiven. And again, Isaac was a type of this
birth. Referring to these passages, our Lord says, Art
thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?
A second time however He condescends to his infirmity, and
makes use of a common argument to render what He has said
ver. li. credible: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we
do knoiv, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not
our testimony. Sight we consider the most certain of all the
senses; so that when we say, we saw such a thing with our
VER. 9 12. ST. JOHN. Ill
eyes, we seem to compel men to believe us. In like manner
Christ, speaking after the manner of men, does not indeed
say that he has seen actually, i. e. with the bodily eye, the
mysteries He reveals; but it is clear that He means it of the
most certain absolute knowledge. This then, viz. That we
do know, he asserts of Himself alone. Haymo. Why, it is Haymo.
asked, does He speak in the plural number, We speak that oct.
we do know ? Because the speaker being the Only-Begotten Pent-
Son of God, He would shew that the Father was in the Son,
and the Son in the Father, and the Holy Ghost from both,
proceeding indivisibly. Alcuin. Or, the plural number may
have this meaning; I, and they who are born again of the
Spirit, alone understand what we speak ; and having seen the
Father in secret, this we testify openly to the world ; and ye,
who are carnal and proud, receive not our testimony. Theo-
phyl. This is not said of Nicodemus, but of the Jewish race,
who to the very last persisted in unbelief. Chrys. They are Chrys.
words of gentleness, not of anger ; a lesson to us, when we xx°™' 3
argue and cannot converse, not by sore and angry words, but
by the absence of anger and clamour, (for clamour is the
material of auger,) to prove the soundness of our views. Jesus
in entering upon high doctrines, ever checks Himself in
compassion to the weakness of His hearer : and does not
dwell continuously on the most important truths, but turns
to others more humble. Whence it follows : If I have told
you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe
if I tell you of heavenly things. Aug. That is : If ye do not Aug.
believe that I can raise up a temple, which you have thrown jn joan\
down, how can ye believe that men can be regenerated by the c- '«
Holy Ghost ? Chrys. Or thus : Be not surprised at His calling Chrys.
Baptism earthly. It is performed upon earth, and is com- xx°^' j
pared with that stupendous birth, which is of the substance
of the Father, an earthly birth being one of mere grace.
And well hath He said, not, Ye understand not, but, Ye
believe not: for when the understanding cannot take in
certain truths, we attribute it to natural deficiency or
ignorance: but where that is not received which it belongs
to faith only to receive, the fault is not deficiency, but un-
belief. These truths, however, were revealed that posterity
112 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
might believe and benefit by them, though the people of that
age did not.
13. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but
he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is in heaven.
Aug. Aug. After taking notice of this lack of knowledge in a
mgr 6gtc" person, who, on the strength of his magisterial station, set
remiss, himself above others, and blaming the unbelief of such men,
' our Lord says, that if such as these do not believe, others
will: No one hath ascended into heaven, but He that
came down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in
heaven. This may be rendered: The spiritual birth shall be
of such sort, as that men from being earthly shall become
heavenly: which will not be possible, except they are made
members of Me; so that he who ascends, becomes one with
Him who descended. Our Lord accounts His body, i. e.
Greg. His Church, as Himself. Greg. Forasmuch as we are made
Mor.c.8. one with Him, to the place from which He came alone in
al. 11. Himself, thither He returns alone in us; and He who is ever
Aug. in heaven, daily ascencleth to heaven. Aug. Although He
ut sup. wag ma(je the Son of man upon earth, yet His Divinity with
which, remaining in heaven, He descended to earth, He hath
declared not to disagree with the title of Son of man, as
He hath thought His flesh worthy the name of Son of God.
For through the Unity of person, by which both substances
are one Christ, He walked upon earth, being Son of God;
and remained in heaven, being Son of man. And the belief
of the greater, involves belief in the less. If then the Divine
substance, which is so far more removed from us, and could
for our sake take up the substance of man so as to unite them
in one person; how much more easily may we believe, that
the Saints united with the man Christ, become with Him one
Christ; so that while it is true of all, that they ascend by
grace, it is at the same time true, that He alone ascends to
Chrys. heaven, Who came down from heaven. Chrys. Or thus:
Horn. . .
xxvii.i. Nicodemus having said, We know that Thou art a teacher
sent from God; our Lord says, And no man hath
VER. 14, 15. ST. JOHN. 113
ascended, SfC. in that He might not appear to be a teacher
only like one of the Prophets. Theophyl. But when thouinioc.
hearest that the Son of man came down from heaven, think
not that His flesh came down from heaven; for this is the
doctrine of those heretics, who held that Christ took His Body
from heaven, and only passed through the Virgin. Chrys. chrys.
By the title Son of man here, He does not mean His flesh, ^^^
but Himself altogether; the lesser part of His nature being
put to express the whole. It is not uncommon with Him to
name Himself wholly from His humanity, or wholly from His
divinity. Bede; If a man of set purpose descend naked to
the valley, and there providing himself with clothes and
armour, ascend the mountain again, he who ascended may
be said to be the same with him who descended. Hilary; Hilar.
Or, His descending from heaven is the source of His origin de Trm.
i • • o. 16.
as conceived by the Spirit: Mary gave not His body its
origin, though the natural qualities of her sex contributed its
birth and increase. That He is the Son of man is from the
birth of the flesh which was conceived in the Virgin. That
He is in heaven is from the power of His everlasting nature,
which did not contract the power of the Word of God, which
is infinite, within the sphere of a finite body. Our Lord
remaining in the form of a servant, far from the whole
circle, inner and outer, of heaven and the world, yet
as Lord of heaven and the world, was not absent there-
from. So then He came down from heaven because He
was the Son of man ; and He was in heaven, because the
Word, which was made flesh, had not ceased to be the Word.
Aug. But thou wonderest that He was at once here, and in Aug.
heaven. Yet such power hath He given to His disciples. Tr- xu-
Hear Paul, Our conversation is in heaven. If the man Paul Phil. 3,
walked upon earth, and had his conversation in heaven;
shall not the God of heaven and earth be able to be in heaven
and earth? Chrys. That too which seemeth very lofty is chrys.
still unworthy of His vastness. For He is not in heaven only, Hom.' .
J J 7 XXMl. 1.
but every where, and filleth all things. But for the present
He accommodates Himself to the weakness of His hearer, that
by degrees He may convert him.
14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up :
i
114 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
15. That whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have eternal life.
Chrys. Chrys. Having made mention of the gift of baptism, He
xxyii i proceeds to the source of it, i. e. the cross: And as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son
of man he lifted up. Bede; He introduces the teacher of
the Mosaic law, to the spiritual sense of that law; by a
passage from the Old Testament history, which was intended
Aug. to be a figure of His Passion, and of man's salvation. Aug.
mer> et ' Many dying in the wilderness from the attack of the serpents,
remiss_\ Moses, by commandment of the Lord, lifted up a brazen
serpent: and those who looked upon it were immediately
healed. The lifting up of the serpent is the death of Christ;
the cause, by a certain mode of construction, being put for
the effect. The serpent was the cause of death, inasmuch
as he persuaded man into that sin, by which he merited
death. Our Lord, however, did not transfer sin, i. e. the
poison of the serpent, to his flesh, but death ; in order that
in the likeness of sinful flesh, there might be punishment
without sin, by virtue of which sinful flesh might be delivered
in loc. both from punishment and from sin. Theophyl. See then
the aptness of the figure. The figure of the serpent has the
appearance of the beast, but not its poison : in the same
way Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh, being free
from sin. By Christ's being lifted up, understand His being
suspended on high> by which suspension He sanctified the
air, even as He had sanctified the earth by walking upon it.
Herein too is typified the glory of Christ: for the height of
the cross was made His glory : for in that He submitted to
be judged, He judged the prince of this world; for Adam died
justly, because he sinned; our Lord unjustly, because He did
no sin. So He overcame him, who delivered Him over to
death, and thus delivered Adam from death, And in this
the devil found himself vanquished, that he could not upon
the cross torment our Lord into hating His murderers: but
only made Him love and pray for them the more. In this
way the cross of Christ was made His lifting up, and glory.
Chrys. Chrys. Wherefore He does not say, ' The Son of man must
xxvh' 2. b© suspended, but lifted up, a more honourable term, but
VER. 16 IS. ST. JOHN. 115
coming near the figure. He uses the figure to shew that the
old dispensation is akin to the new, and to shew on His
hearers' account that He suffered voluntarily; and that His
death issued in life. Aug. As then formerly he who looked Aug.
J-T. Xll
to the serpent that was lifted up, was healed of its poison, c§ i1#
and saved from death ; so now he who is conformed to the
likeness of Christ's death by faith and the grace of baptism,
is delivered both from sin by justification, and from death by
the resurrection : as He Himself saith ; Thai whosoever
believetli on Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. What need then is there that the child should be con-
formed by baptism to the death of Christ, if he be not
altogether tainted by the poisonous bite of the serpent ?
Chrys. Observe ; He alludes to the Passion obscurely, in Chrvs.
consideration to His hearer; but the fruit of the Passion Hexxv^2.
unfolds plainly; viz. that they who believe in the Crucified
One should not perish. And if they who believe in the
Crucified live, much more shall the Crucified One Himself.
Aug. But there is this difference between the figure and the Aug.
reality, that the one recovered from temporal death, the other J*11'
from eternal.
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believetli hi him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved.
18. He that believetli on him is not condemned:
but he that believetli not is condemned already, because
he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God.
Chrys. Having said, Even so must the Son of man be lifted
yp, alluding to His death; lest His hearer should be cast down i ^v.
by His words, forming some human notion of Him, and *x&'<*v>
thinking of His death as an evil1, He corrects this by saying, tion,
that He who was given up to death was the Son of God, and :
noil s;i-
that His death would be the source of life eternal; So GWlutarem.
i 2
li() GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life; as if He said, Marvel not that I must be lifted
up, that you may be saved : for so it seemeth good to the
Father, who hath so loved you, that He hath given His Son
to suffer for ungrateful and careless servants. The text, God
so loved the world, shews intensity of love. For great indeed
and infinite is the distance between the two. He who is
without end, or beginning of existence, Infinite Greatness,
loved those who were of earth and ashes, creatures laden
with sins innumerable. And the act which springs from the
love is equally indicative of its vastness. For God gave not
a servant, or an Angel, or an Archangel, but His Son. Again,
had He had many sons, and given one, this would have been a
very great gift; but now He hath given His Only Begotten
Hilar. Son. Hilary; If it were only a creature given up for the
^ine sake of a creature, such a poor and insignificant loss were no
c. 40. great evidence of love. They must be precious things which
prove our love, great things must evidence its greatness.
God, in love to the world, gave His Son, not an adopted
Son, but His own, even His Only Begotten. Here is
proper Sonship, birth, truth: no creation, no adoption, no
lie: here is the test of love and charity, that God sent His
n loc. own and only begotten Son to save the world. Theophyl.
As He said above, that the Son of man came down from
heaven, not meaning that His flesh did come down from
heaven, on account of the unity of person in Christ, attribut-
ing to man what belonged to God: so now conversely what
belongs to man, he assigns to God the Word. The Son of God
was impassible; but being one in respect of person with man,
who was passible, the Son is said to be given up to death;
inasmuch as He truly suffered, not in His own nature, but
in His own flesh. From this death follows an exceeding
great and incomprehensible benefit: viz. that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Old Testament promised to those who obeyed it, length
of days: the Gospel promises life eternal, and imperishable,
i e^ Bede1; Note here, that the same which he before said of the
Nicolai. &on 0f man, lifted up on the cross, he repeats of the only
begotten Son of God; viz. That whosoever believeth in
VER. 16— 18. ST. JOHN. 117
Him, 8$c. For the same our Maker and Redeemer, who was
Son of God before the world was, was made at the end of the
world the Son of man ; so that He who by the power of His
Godhead had created us to enjoy the happiness of an endless
life, the same restored us to the life we have lost by taking
our human frailty upon Him. Alcuin. Truly through the Son
of God shall the world have life; for for no other cause came
He into the world, except to save the world. God sent not
His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. Aug. For why is He Aug.
called the Saviour of the world, but because He saves the c. J2.
world? The physician, so far as his will is concerned, heals
the sick. If the sick despises or will not observe the direc-
tions of the physician, he destroys himself. Chrvs. Because Chry$.
however He savs this, slothful men in the multitude of their, t°J£j ,
^ -v A * 1 lit J ,
sins, and excess of carelessness, abuse God's mercy, and say,
There is no hell, no punishment; God remits us all our sins.
But let us remember, that there are two advents of Christ;
one past, the other to come. The former was, not to judge
but to pardon us: the latter will be, not to pardon but to
judge us. It is of the former that He says, I have not come
to judge the "world. Because He is merciful, instead of
judgment, He grants an internal remission of all sins by
baptism ; and even after baptism opens to us the door of
repentance, which had He not done all had been lost ; for Rom. 3,
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. After-
wards, however, there follows something about the punish-
ment of unbelievers, to warn us against flattering ourselves
that we can sin with impunity. Of the unbeliever He says,
1 he is judged already.' — But first He says, He that believeth
on Him is not judged. He who believeth, He says, not who
enquires. But what if his life be impure? Paul very strongly
declares that such are not believers: They confess, he says, Tit. l,
that they know God, but in works deny Him. That is to
say, Such will not be judged for their belief, but will receive
a heavy punishment for their works, though unbelief will not
be charged against them. Alcuin. He who believes on Him,
and cleaves to Him as a member to the head, will not be
condemned. Aug. What didst thou expect Ilim to say of;.Ul"\.
r J lr. XU.
him who believed not, except that he is condemned. Yetc. 12.
118 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
mark His words: He that believeth not is condemned already .
The Judgment hath not appeared, but it is already given.
For the Lord knows who are His; who are awaiting the
Chrys. crown, and who the fire. Chrys. Or the meaning is, that
xxviii.i. disbelief itself is the punishment of the impenitent: inasmuch
as that is to be without light, and to be without light is of
itself the greatest punishment. Or He is announcing what is
to be. Though a murderer be not yet sentenced by the
Judge, still his crime has already condemned him. In like
manner he who believes not, is dead, even as Adam, on the
Greg, day that he ate of the tree, died. Greg. Or thus: In the
Mor. c. last judgment some perish without being judged, of whom it
xxvii. is ]iere said, He that believetli not is condemned already.
For the day of judgment does not try those who for unbelief
are already banished from the sight of a discerning judge*
are under sentence of damnation; but those, who retaining
the profession of faith, have no works to shew suitable to that
profession. For those who have not kept even the sacraments
of faith, do not even hear the curse of the Judge at the last
trial. They have already, in the darkness of their unbelief,
received their sentence, and are not thought worthy of being
convicted by the rebuke of Him whom they had despised
Again ; Foran earthly sovereign, in the government of his state,
has a different rule of punishment, in the case of the dis-
affected subject, and the foreign rebel. In the former case,
he consults the civil law; but against the enemy he proceeds
at once to war, and repays his malice with the punishment it
deserves, without regard to law, inasmuch as he who never
submitted to law, has no claim to suffer by the law. Alcuin.
He then gives the reason why he who believeth not is
condemned, viz. because he believetli not in the name of the
only beyotten Son of God. For in this name alone is there
salvation. God hath not many sons who can save; He by
Aug. de whom He saves is the Only Begotten. Aug. Where then
mtr.et do we place baptized children? Amongst those who believe?
Rem. This is acquired for them by the virtue of the Sacrament, and
1. I.e. 33.
the pledges of the sponsors. And by this same rule we
reckon those who are not baptized, among those who believe
not.
VER. 19 — 21. ST. JOHN. 119
19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come
into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil.
20. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be
reproved.
21. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light,
that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are
wrought in God.
Alcuin. Here is the reason why men believed not, and
why they are justly condemned ; This is the condemnation,
that light is come into the icorld. Chrys. As if He said, So Chrys.
far from their having sought for it, or laboured to find it, xxviii.2.
light itself hath come to them, and they have refused to admit
it ; Men loved darkness rather than light. Thus He leaves
them no excuse. He came to rescue them from darkness, and
bring them to light ; who can pity him who does not choose
to approach the light when it comes unto him? Bede ; Bede.
He calls Himself the light, whereof the Evangelist speaks, m loc-
That was the true light ; whereas sin He calls darkness.
Chrys. Then because it seemed incredible that man should Chrys.
prefer light to darkness, he gives the reason of the infatu- Ho™: n
r ° 7 o xxvm.2.
ation, viz. that their deeds were evil. And indeed had He
come to Judgment, there had been some reason for not receiving
Him ; for he who is conscious of his crimes, naturally avoids
the judge. But criminals are glad to meet one who brings
them pardon. And therefore it might have been expected
that men conscious of their sins would have gone to meet
Christ, as many indeed did ; for the publicans and sinners
came and sat down with Jesus. But the greater part being
too cowardly to undergo the toils of virtue for righteousness'
sake, persisted in their wickedness to the last; of whom our
Lord says, Every one that doeth evil, hateth the light. He
speaks of those who choose to remain in their wickedness.
Alcuin. Every one that doeth evil, hateth the light ; i. e. he
who is resolved to sin, who delights in sin, hateth the light,
which detects his sin. Aug. Because they dislike being Au-.
deceived, and like to deceive, they love light for discovering Cout;...
(34.) '"
120 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. Ill
herself, arid hate her for discovering them. Wherefore it
shall be their punishment, that she shall manifest them
against their will, and herself not be manifest unto them.
The j love the brightness of truth, they hate her discrimina-
tion ; and therefore it follows, Neither cometh to the light, that
Chrys. fa deeds should be reproved. Chrys. No one reproves a
Horn. ^ l
xxvii.2. Pagan, because his own practice agrees with the character
of his gods ; his life is in accordance with his doctrines.
But a Christian who lives in wickedness all must condemn.
If there are any Gentiles whose life is good, T know them
not. But are there not Gentiles ? it may be asked. For
do not tell me of the naturallv amiable and honest ; this
is not virtue. But shew me one who has strong passions,
and lives with wisdom. You cannot. For if the announce-
ment of a kingdom, and the threats of hell, and other
inducements, hardly keep men virtuous when they are so,
such calls will hardlv rouse them to the attainment of virtue
in the first instance. Pagans, if they do produce any thing
which looks well, do it for vain-glory's sake, and will therefore
at the same time, if they can escape notice, gratify their evil
desires as well. And what profit is a man's sobriety and
decency of conduct, if he is the slave of vain-glory ? The
slave of vain-glory is no less a sinner than a fornicator: nay,
sins even oftener, and more grievously. However, even
supposing there are some few Gentiles of good lives, the
exceptions so rare do not affect my argument. Bede ; Mo-
rally too they love darkness rather than light, who when their
preachers tell them their duty, assail them with calumny.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that
his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought
Chrys. (n Qnd. Chrys. He does not sav this of those who are
TT _ J
xxviii. brought up under the Gospel, but of those who are converted
3" to the true faith from Paganism or Judaism. He shews that
no one will leave a false religion for the true faith, till he
Auc- first resolve to follow a right course of life. Aug. He calls
de Pecc.
mer. et the works of him who comes to the light, wrought in God;
Remiss, meaning that his justification is attributable not to his own
1.1 • C • Do ,
Aug. merits, but to God's grace. Aug. But if God hath dis-
13r* |4J covered all men's works to be evil, how is it that any have
done the truth, and come to the light, i. e. to Christ? Now
VER. 22 — 26. ST. JOHN. 121
what He saith is, that they loved darkness rather than light ;
He lays the stress upon that. Many have loved their sins,
many have confessed them. God accuseth thy sins ; if thou
accuse them too, thou art joined to God. Thou must hate
thine own work, and love the work of God in thee. The
beginning of good works, is the confession of evil works,
and then thou doest the truth : not soothing, not flattering
thyself. And thou art come to the light, because this very
sin in thee, which displeaseth thee, would not displease thee,
did not God shine upon thee, and His truth shew it unto
thee. And let those even who have sinned only by word
or thought, or who have only exceeded in things allowable,
do the truth, by making confession, and come to the light
by performing good works. For little sins, if suffered to
accumulate, become mortal. Little drops swell the river :
little grains of sand become an heap, which presses and
weighs down. The sea coming in by little and little, unless
it be pumped out, sinks the vessel. And what is to pump
out, but by good wrorks, mourning, fasting, giving and
forgiving, to provide against our sins overwhelming us?
22. After these things came Jesus and his disciples
into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them,
and baptized.
23. And John also was baptizing in iEnon near to
Salim, because there was much water there : and they
came, and were baptized.
24. For John was not yet cast into prison.
25. Then there arose a question between some
of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26. And they came unto John, and said unto him,
Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom
thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and
all men come to him.
Chrys. Nothing is more open than truth, nothing bolder; chrys.
Horn,
xxix. I.
it neither seeks concealment, or avoids danger, or fears the1
snare, or cares for popularity. It is subject to no human
weakness. Our Lord went up to Jerusalem at the feasts, not
12-2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
from ostentation or love of honour, but to teach the people
His doctrines, and shew miracles of mercy. After the
festival He visited the crowds who were collected at the
Jordan. After these things came Jesus and His disciples
into the land of ' Judosa ; and there he tarried with them, and
bajotized. Bede; After these things, is not immediately
after His dispute with Nicoclemus, which took place at
Jerusalem ; but on His return to Jerusalem after some time
spent in Galilee. Alcuin. By Judaea are meant those who
confess, whom Christ visits ; for wherever there is confession
of sins, or the praise of God, thither cometh Christ and His
disciples, i. e. His doctrine and enlightenment ; and there
He is known by His cleansing men from sin : And there He
Chrys. tarried with them, and baptized, Chrys. As the Evangelist
xxix* l. says afterwards, that Jesus baptized not but His disciples,
it is evident that he means the same here, i. e. that the
Au?-... disciples only baptized. Aug. Our Lord did not baptize
c. 4. with the baptism wherewith He had been baptized ; for He
was baptized by a servant, as a lesson of humility to us, and
in order to bring us to the Lord's baptism, i. e. His own ;
for Jesus baptized, as the Lord, the Son of God. Bede ;
John still continues baptizing, though Christ has begun ;
for the shadow remains still, nor must the forerunner cease,
till the truth is manifested. And John also teas baptizing in
jfinon, near to Salim. iEnon is Hebrew for water ; so that
the Evangelist gives, as it were, the derivation of the name,
when he adds, For there was much water there. Salim is a
town on the Jordan, where Melchisedec once reigned.
Hierom. Jerome ; It matters not whether it is called Salem, or
xxn'Cad Salim ; since the Jews very rarely use vowels in the middle
Evag. 0f words ; and the same words are pronounced with different
vowels and accents, by different readers, and in different
places.
And they came, and were baptized. Bede ; The same
kind of benefit which catechumens receive from instruction
before they are baptized, the same did John's baptism
convey before Christ's. As John preached repentance,
announced Christ's baptism, and drew all men to the
knowledge of the truth now made manifest to the world :
so the ministers of the Church first instruct those who come
VER. 22 26. ST. JOHN. 123
to the faith, then reprove their sins; and lastly, drawing them
to the knowledge and love of the truth, offer them remission
by Christ's baptism. Chrys. Notwithstanding the disciples Chrjs.
of Jesus baptized, John did not leave off till his imprison- xx°x'1#
ment ; as the Evangelist's language intimates, For John was
not yet cast into prison. Bede ; He evidently here is
relating what Christ did before John's imprisonment ; a
part which has been passed over by the rest, who commence
after John's imprisonment. Aug. But why did John baptize ? Aug.
. Tr. xiii.
Because it was necessary that our Lord should be baptized. c, q%
And why was it necessary that our Lord should be baptized?
That no one might ever think himself at liberty to despise
baptism. Chrys. But why did he go on baptizing now ? Chrys.
Because, had he left off, it might have been attributed toVY /
envy or anger : whereas, continuing to baptize, he got no
glory for himself, but sent hearers to Christ. And he was
better able to do this service, than were Christ's own
disciples ; his testimony being so free from suspicion, and
his reputation with the people so much higher than theirs.
He therefore continued to baptize, that he might not in-
crease the envy felt by his disciples against our Lord's
baptism. Indeed, the reason, I think, why John's death was
permitted, and, in his room, Christ made the great preacher,
was, that the people might transfer their affections wholly
to Christ, and no longer be divided between the two. For
the disciples of John did become so envious of Christ's
disciples, and even of Christ Himself, that when they saw
the latter baptizing, they threw contempt upon their bap-
tism, as being inferior to that of John's ; And there arose
a question from some of John's disciples toith the Jews
about purifying. That it was they who began the dispute,
and not the Jews, the Evangelist implies by saying, that
there arose a question from John's disciples, whereas he
might have said, The Jews put forth a question. Aug. The Aug.
Jews then asserted Christ to be the greater person, and His ir^X111,
baptism necessary to be received. But John's disciples did
not understand so much, and defended John's baptism.
At last they come to John, to solve the question : And they
came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, He that was uith
thee beyond Jordan, behold, /he Same baptize th. CHRYS. ^hrya.
xxix. 2.
124 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
Meaning, He, Whom thou baptizedst, baptizeth. They did
not say expressly, Whom thou baptizedst, for they did not
wish to be reminded of the voice from heaven, but, He Who
was with thee, i. e. Who was in the situation of a disciple, who
was nothing more than any of us, He now separateth Himself
from thee, and baptizeth. They add, To Whom thou barest
witness ; as if to say, Whom thou shewedst to the world,
Whom thou madest renowned, He now dares to do as thou
dost. Behold, the Same baptizeth. And in addition to this,
they urge the probability that John's doctrines would fall
into discredit. All men come to Him. Alcuin. Meaning,
Passing by thee, all men run to the baptism of Him Whom
thou baptizedst.
27. John answered and said, A man can receive
nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28. Ye vourselves bear me witness, that I said, I
am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom;
but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth
and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the
bridegroom's voice : this my joy therefore is ful-
filled.
30. He must increase, but I must decrease.
Chrys. Chrys. John, on this question being raised, does not
„J'0 rebuke his disciples, for fear they might separate, and turn
to some other school, but replies gently, John answered and
said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven ; as if he said, No wonder that Christ does such
excellent works, and that all men come to Him; when He
Who doeth it all is God. Human efforts are easily seen
through, are feeble, and short-lived. These are not such :
they are not therefore of human, but of divine originating.
He seems however to speak somewhat humbly k of Christ,
which will not surprise us, when we consider that it was not
fitting to tell the whole truth, to minds prepossessed with such
a passion as envy. He only tries for the present to alarm
k Referring to, u A man can recei-ve nothing," &c. ver. 27.
ver. -27 — 30. ST. JOHN. 125
them, by shewing that they are attempting impossible things,
and fighting against God. Aug. Or perhaps John is speaking Aug.
here of himself: I am a mere man, and have received all r-x111*
' c. 9.
from heaven, and therefore think not that, because it has
been given me to be somewhat, I am so foolish as to speak
against the truth. Chrys. And see; the very argument Chrys.
by which they thought to have overthrown Christ, To wAom °™'2
thou barest witness, he turns against them; Ye yourselves
bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ; as if he
said, If ye think my witness true, ye must acknowledge Him
more worthy of honour than myself. He adds, But that I
was sent before Him; that is to say, I am a servant, and
perform the commission of the Father which sent me ; my
witness is not from favour or partiality ; I say that which was
given me to say. Bede ; Who art thou then, since thou art
not the Christ, and who is He to Whom thou bearest wit-
ness ? John replies, He is the Bridegroom ; I am the friend
of the Bridegroom, sent to prepare the Bride for His approach:
He that hath the Bride, is the Bridegroom. By the Bride
he means the Church, gathered from amongst all nations ; a
Virgin in purity of heart, in perfection of love, in the bond
of peace, in chastity of mind and body ; in the unity of the
Catholic faith ; for in vain is she a virgin in body, who con-
tinueth not a virgin in mind. This Bride hath Christ joined
unto Himself in marriage, and redeemed with the price of
His own Blood. Theophyl. Christ is the spouse of every
soul; the wedlock, wherein they are joined, is baptism; the
place of that wedlock is the Church; the pledge of it, re-
mission of sins, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost ; the
consummation, eternal life ; which those who are wrorthy
shall receive. Christ alone is the Bridegroom : all other
teachers are but the friends of the Bridegroom, as was the
forerunner. The Lord is the giver of good ; the rest are the
despisers of His gifts. Bede ; His Bride therefore our Lord
committed to His friend, i. e. the order of preachers, who
should be jealous of her, not for themselves, but for Christ ;
The friend of the Bridegroom which standeth and heareth
Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice.
Aug. As if He said, She is not My spouse. But dost thou Aug.
therefore not rejoice in the marriage? Yea, I rejoice, heTr;*in'
1*26 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
Chrys. saith, because I am the friend of the Bridegroom. Chrys.
xxviii.2. But now doth he who said above, Whose shoe's latchet I
am not worthy to unloose, call himself a friend ? As an ex-
pression not of equality, but of excess of joy: (for the friend
of the Bridegroom is always more rejoiced than the servant,)
and also, as a condescension to the weakness of his disciples,
who thought that he was pained at Christ's ascendancy.
For he hereby assures them, that so far from being pained,
he was right glad that the Bride recognised her Spouse.
Aug. Aug. But wherefore doth he stand? Because he falleth
Tr xiii»
'not, by reason of his humility. A sure ground this to stand
upon, Whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
Again ; He standeth, and heareth Him. So then if he falleth,
he heareth Him not. Therefore the friend of the Bridegroom
ought to stand and hear, i. e. to abide in the grace which he
hath received, and to hear the voice in which he rejoiceth.
I rejoice not, he saith, because of my own voice, but because
of the Bridegroom's voice. T rejoice; I in hearing, He in
speaking ; I am the ear, He the Word. For he who guards
the bride or wife of his friend, takes care that she love none
else ; if he wish to be loved himself in the stead of his
friend, and to enjoy her who was entrusted to him, how
detestable doth he appear to the whole world ? Yet many
are the adulterers I see, who would fain possess themselves
of the spouse who was bought at so great a price, and who
aim by their words at being loved themselves instead of
Chrys. the Bridegroom. Chrys. Or thus; The expression, which
xxix 3 standeth> is not without meaning, but indicates that his part
is now over, and that for the future he must stand and listen.
This is a transition from the parable to the real subject. For
having introduced the figure of a bride and bridegroom, he
shews how the marriage is consummated, viz. by word and
Rom. doctrine. Faith comelh by hearing, and hearing by the
io3 17. yjord of God. And since the things he had hoped for had
come to pass, he adds, This my joy therefore is fulfilled ;
i. e. The work which I had to do is finished, and nothing
more is left, that I can do. Theophyl. For which cause I
rejoice now, that all men follow Him. For had the bride, i. e.
the people, not come forth to meet the Bridegroom, then I,
Tr^xiv. as the friend of the Bridegroom, should have grieved. Aug.
VER. 27 — 30, ST. JOHN. 127
Or thus; This my joy is fulfilled, i. e. my joy at hearing the
Bridegroom's voice. I have my gift; I claim no more, lest
I lose that which I have received. He who would rejoice
in himself, hath sorrow; but he who would rejoice in the
Lord, shall ever rejoice, because God is everlasting.
Bede; He rejoice th at hearing the Bridegroom's voice,
who knows that he should not rejoice in his own wisdom, but
in the wisdom which God giveth him. Whoever in his
good works seeketh not his own glory, or praise, or earthly
gain, but hath his affections set on heavenly things ; this
man is the friend of the Bridegroom. Chrys. He next dis-Chrys.
misses the motions of envy, not only as regards the present, xx°ix' 3
but also the future, saying, He must increase, but I must
decrease: as if he said, My office hath ceased, and is ended;
but His advanceth. Aug. What meaneth this, He must i?i-Aug.
J r xxv
crease? God neither increases, nor decreases. And John Ct 4 5/
and Jesus, according to the flesh, were of the same age :
for the six months' difference between them is of no conse-
quence. This is a great mystery. Before our Lord came, men
gloried in themselves; He came in no man's nature, that
the glory of man might be diminished, and the glory of God
exalted. For He came to remit sins upon man's confession :
a man's confession, a man's humility, is God's pity, God's
exaltation. This truth Christ and John proved, even by
their modes of suffering : John was beheaded, Christ was
lifted up on the cross. Then Christ was born, when the
days begin to lengthen; John, when they begin to shorten.
Let God's glory then increase in us, and our own decrease,
that ours also may increase in God. But it is because thou
understandest God more and more, that He seemeth to in-
crease in thee : for in His own nature He increaseth not,
but is ever perfect: even as to a man cured of blindness,
who beginneth to see a little, and daily seeth more, the light
seemeth to increase, whereas it is in reality always at the
fall, whether he seeth it or not. In like manner the inner
man maketh advancement in God, and it seemeth as if God
were increasing in Him ; but it is He Himself that decreaseth,
falling from the height of His own glory, and rising in the
glory of God. Theoehyl. Or thus ; As, on the sun rising,
the light of the other heavenly bodies seems to be extin-
118 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
guished, though in reality it is only obscured by the greater
light: thus the forerunner is said to decrease; as if he
were a star hidden by the sun. Christ increases in propor-
tion as he gradually discloses Himself by miracles ; not in
the sense of increase, or advancement in virtue, (the opinion
of Nestorius,) but only as regards the manifestation of His
divinity.
31. He that cometh from above is above all: he
that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the
earth : he that cometh from heaven is above all.
32. And what he hath seen and heard, that he
testifieth ;
Chrys. Chrys. As the worm gnaws wood, and rusts iron, so vain-
xxx. l. gl°ry destroys the soul that cherishes it. But it is a most
obstinate fault. John with all his arguments can hardly
subdue it in his disciples : for after what he has said above,
he saith yet again, He that cometh from above is above all:
meaning, Ye extol my testimony, and say that the witness
is more worthy to be believed, than He to whom he bears
witness. Know this, that He who cometh from heaven,
cannot be accredited by an earthly witness. He is above all;
being perfect in Himself, and above comparison. The-
ophyl. Christ cometh from above, as descending from the
Father; and is above all, as being elected in preference to
all. Alcuin. Or, cometh from above ; i. e. from the height
of that human nature which was before the sin of the first
man. For it was that human nature which the Word of God
assumed : He did not take upon Him man's sin, as He did
his punishment.
He that is of the earth is of the earth; i. e. is earthly,
Chrys. an $ Speaketh of the earth, speaketh earthly things. Chrys.
xxx. 1. And yet he was not altogether of the earth ; for he had a
soul, and partook of a spirit, which was not of the earth.
What means he then by saying that he is of the earth ?
Only to express his own worthlessness, that he is one born
on the earth, creeping on the ground, and not to be com-
pared with Christ, Who cometh from above. Speaketh of the
VER. 31, 82. ST. JOHN. 129
earth, does not mean that he spoke from his own under-
standing; but that, in comparison with Christ's doctrine, he
spoke of the earth: as if he said, My doctrine is mean and
humble, compared with Christ's ; as becometh an earthly
teacher, compared with Him, in Whom are hid all theCol.2,3.
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Aug. Or, speaketh of Aug._
Tr. xiv
the earthy he saith of the man, i. e. of himself, so far as he c. g. .
speaks merely humanly. If he says ought divine, he is
enlightened by God to say it : as saith the Apostle ; Yet not }^Cor-
/, but the grace of God which teas with me. John then, so
far as pertains to John, is of the earth, and speaketh of the
earth : if ye hear ought divine from him, attribute it to
the Enlightener, not to him who hath received the light.
Chrys. Having corrected the bad feeling of his disciples, Chrys.
TT
he comes to discourse more deeply upon Christ. Before x^'i
this it would have been useless to reveal the truths which
could not yet gain a place in their minds. It follows there-
fore, He that cometh from heaven. Gloss. That is, from
the Father. He is above all in two ways ; first, in respect of
His humanity, which was that of man before he sinned :
secondly, in respect of the loftiness of the Father, to whom
He is equal. Chrys. But after this high and solemn men- chrys.
tion of Christ, his tone lowers: And what he hath seen and^om-
. s> xxx- *»
heard, that he testtfieth. As our senses are our surest
channels of knowledge, and teachers are most depended on
who have apprehended by sight or hearing what they teach,
John adds this argument in favour of Christ, that, what he
hath seen and heard, that lie testijieth : meaning that every
thing which He saith is true. I want, saith John, to hear
what things He, Who cometh from above, hath seen and
heard, i. e. what He, and He alone, knows with certainty.
Theophyl. When ye hear then, that Christ speaketh what
He saw and heard from the Father, do not suppose that He
needs to be taught by the Father ; but only that that know-
ledge, which He has naturally, is from the Father. For this
reason He is said to have heard, whatever He knows, from
the Father. Aug. But what is it, which the Son hath heard au°-.
from the Father? Hath He heard the word of the Father? Tr*x,v'
c 7.
Yea, but He is the Word of the Father. When thou con-
ceivest a word, wherewith to name a thing, the veo^tTfm^EOi^
}
*T. «*>»"
£>
130 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
ception of that thing in the mind is a word. Just then as
thou hast in thy mind and with thee thy spoken word ; even
so God uttered the Word, i. e. begat the Sou. Since then the
Son is the Word of God, and the Son hath spoken the Word
of God to us, He hath spoken to us the Father's word.
What John said is therefore true.
32. — and no man receiveth his testimony.
33. He that hath received his testimony hath set to
his seal that God is true.
34. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the
words of God : for God giveth not the Spirit by mea-
sure unto him.
35. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all
things into his hand.
36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting
life : and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Chrys. Chrys. Having said, And what he hath seen and heard,
xxx. l. thut ne testijieth, to prevent any from supposing, that what
he said was false, because only a few for the present
believed, he adds, And no man receiveth his testimony ; i. e.
only a few ; for he had disciples who received his testimony.
John is alluding to the unbelief of his own disciples, and to
the insensibility of the Jews, of whom we read in the begin-
ning of the Gospel, He came unto His own, and His oun
^ug-. received Him not. Aug. Or thus; There is a people reserved
c. s. ' for the wrath of God, and to be condemned with the devil;
of whom none receiveth the testimony of Christ. And others
there are ordained to eternal life. Mark how mankind are
divided spiritually, though as human beings they are mixed
up together : and John separated them by the thoughts of
their heart, though as yet they were not divided in respect of
place, and looked on them as two classes, the unbelievers,
and the believers. Looking to the unbelievers, he saith,
No man receiveth his testimony. Then turning to those on
the right hand he saith, He that hath received his testimony,
VEIL 82 36. ST. JOHN. 131
hath set to his seal. Chrys. i. e. hath shewn that God isChrjs.
true* This is to alarm them : for it is as much as saying, no Kli\
one can disbelieve Christ without convicting God, Who sent
Him, of falsehood : inasmuch as He speaks nothing but what
is of the Father. For He, it follows, Whom God hath sent,
speaketh the words of God. Alcuin. Or, Hath put to his
seal, i. e. hath put a seal on his heart, for a singular and
special token, that this is the true God, Who suffered for the
salvation of mankind. Aug. What is it, that God is true,^Lg.
except that God is true, and every man a liar ? For no man c. '$.
can say what truth is, till he is enlightened by Him who
cannot lie. God then is true, and Christ is God. Wouldest
thou have proof? Hear His testimony, and thou wilt find
it so. But if thou dost not yet understand God, thou hast
not yet received His testimony. Christ then Himself is
God the true, and God hath sent Him ; God hath sent
God, join both together; they are One God. For John
saith, Whom God hath sent, to distinguish Christ from
himself. What then, was not John himself sent by God ?
Yes ; but mark what follows, For God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto Him. To men He giveth by measure, to
His only Son He giveth not by measure. To one man is
given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the
word of knowledge : one has one thing, another another;
for measure implies a kind of division of gifts. But Christ
did not receive by measure, though He gave by measure.
Chrys. By Spirit here is meant the operation of the Holy Chrys.
Spirit. He wishes to shew that all of us have received xxx#'2.
the operation of the Spirit by measure, but that Christ
contains within Himself the whole operation of the Spirit.
How then shall He be suspected, Who saith nothing, but
what is from God, and the Spirit? For He makes no men-
tion yet of God the Word, but rests His doctrine on the
authority of the Father and the Spirit. For men knew
that there was God, and knew that there was the Spirit,
(although they had not right belief about His nature ;)
but that there was the Son thev did not know. Aug. Aug.
Having said of the Son, God giveth not the Spirit by mea- \*mi
sure unto Him; he adds, The Father loveth the Son, and
farther adds, and hath given all things into His hand-;
K 2
132 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
in order to shew that the Father loveth the Son, in a pecu-
liar sense. For the Father loveth John, and Paul, and yet
hath not given all things into their hands. But the Father
loveth the Son, as the Son, not as a master his servant:
as an only, not as an adopted, Son. Wherefore He
hath given all things into His hand ; so that, as great as
the Father is, so great is the Son; let us not think then
that, because He hath deigned to send the Son, any one
inferior to the Father has been sent. Theophyl. The
Father then hath given all things to the Son in respect of
His divinity; of right, not of grace. Or; He hath given
all things into His hand, in respect of His humanity : inas-
much as He is made Lord of all things that are in heaven,
and that are in earth. Alcuin. And because all things are
in His hand, the life everlasting is too: and therefore it
follows, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.
Bede. We must understand here not a faith in words only,
Chrys. but a faith which is developed in works. Chrys. He means
xxxi. 1. n°t here, that to believe on the Son is sufficient to gain
Matt. 7. everlasting life, for elsewhere He says, Not every one that
saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven. And the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is of
itself sufficient to send into hell. But we must not think
that even a right belief on Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is
sufficient for salvation ; for we have need of a good life
and conversation. Knowing then that the greater part are
not moved so much by the promise of good, as by the threat
of punishment, he concludes, But He that believeth not the
Son, shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on
him. See how He refers to the Father again, when He
speaketh of punishment. He saith not, the wrath of the
Son, though the Son is judge ; but maketh the Father the
judge, in order to alarm men more. And He does not say,
in Him, but on Him, meaning that it will never depart from
Him ; and for the same reason He says, shall not see life,
i. e. to shew that He did not mean only a temporary death.
Aug-. Aug. Nor does He say, The wrath of God cometh to him,
Tr» xiv *
c. 13. but, abideth on him. For all who are born, are under the
wrath of God, which the first Adam incurred. The Son
of God came without sin, and was clothed with mortality :
VER. 32 — 36. ST. JOHN. 133
He died that thou mightest live. Whosoever then will not
believe on the Son, on him abideth the wrath of God, of
which the Apostle speaks, We were by nature the children Eph. 2,
of wrath. 3-
CHAP. IV.
1 . When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees
had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples
than John,
2. (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his
disciples,)
3. He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
4. And he must needs go through Samaria.
5. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is
called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob
gave to his son Joseph.
6. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore,
being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well:
and it was about the sixth hour.
1 The Gloss.1 The Evangelist, after relating how John checked
passage the envy of his disciples, on the success of Christ's teaching,
is one of comes next to the envy of the Pharisees, and Christ's retreat
s; Cyril
(Xic.) from thern. When therefore the Lord knew that the
Aug. Pharisees had heard, <$fc. Aug. Truly had the Pharisees'
Cg 2. knowledge that our Lord was making more disciples, and
baptizing more than John, been such as to lead them heartily
to follow Him, He would not have left Judaea, but would have
remained for their sake: but seeing, as He did, that this
knowledge of Him was coupled with envy, and made them
not followers, but persecutors, He departed thence. He
could too, had He pleased, have stayed amongst them, and
escaped their hands; but He wished to shew His own
example to believers in time to come, that it was no sin for
a servant of God to fly from the fury of persecutors. He did
it like a good teacher, not out of fear for Himself, but for our
Chrys. instruction. Chrys. He did it too to pacify the envy of
• men, and perhaps to avoid bringing the dispensation of the
incarnation into suspicion. For had he been taken and
XXXI.
VER. 1 6. GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 135
escaped, the reality of His flesh would have been doubted.
Aug. Tt may perplex you, perhaps, to be told that Jesus Aug.
baptized more than John, and then immediately after, Though c# 3#
Jesus Himself baptized not. What? Is there a mistake
made, and then corrected? Chrys. Christ Himself did not Chrys.
TT
baptize, but those who reported the fact, in order to raise the xxxj. 1.
envy of their hearers, so represented it as to appear that
Christ Himself baptized. The reason why He baptized not non occ.
Himself, had been already declared by John, He shall 16>
baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Now He
had not yet given the Holy Spirit : it was therefore fitting
that He should not baptize. But His disciples baptized, as
an efficacious mode of instruction; better than gathering up
believers here and there, as had been done in the case of
Simon and his brother. Their baptism, however, had no
more virtue than the baptism of John; both being without
the grace of the Spirit, and both having one object, viz.
that of bringing men to Christ. Aug. Or, both are true; Aug.
for Jesus both baptized, and baptized not. He baptized, c< 3#
in that He cleansed: He baptized not, in that He dipped
not. The disciples supplied the ministry of the body, He
the aid of that Majesty of which it was said, The Same is^er. 33.
He which baptizeth. Alcuin. The question is often asked,
whether the Holy Ghost was given by the baptism of the
disciples; when below it is said, The Holy Ghost teas ?wtc.7.
yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. We reply,
that the Spirit was given, though not in so manifest a way as
he was after the Ascension, in the shape of fiery tongues.
For, as Christ Himself in His human nature ever possessed
the Spirit, and yet afterwards at His baptism the Spirit
descended visibly upon Him in the form of a dove; so before
the manifest and visible coming of the Holy Spirit, all saints
might possess the Spirit secretly. Aug. But we must Aug.
believe that the disciples of Christ were already baptized ]eucj
themselves, either with John's baptism, or, as is more Ep.xviii.
probable, with Christ's. For He who had stooped to the
humble service of washing His disciples' feet, had not failed
to administer baptism to His servants, who would thus be
enabled in their turn to baptize others. Chrys. Christ on Chrys.
withdrawing from Jiuliua, joined those whom He was with "*
136 GOSPEL ACCORDING 70 CHAP. IV.
before, as we read next, And departed again into Galilee.
As the Apostles, when they were expelled by the Jews, went
to the Gentiles, so Christ goes to the Samaritans. But, to
deprive the Jews of all excuse, He does not go to stay there,
but only takes it on His road, as the Evangelist implies by
saying, And he must needs go through Samaria. Samaria re-
ceives its name from Somer, a mountain there, so called from
the name of a former possessor of it. The inhabitants of the
country were formerly not Samaritans, but Israelites. But
in process of time they fell under God's wrath, and the king
of Assyria transplanted them to Babylon and Media; placing
Gentiles from various parts in Samaria in their room. God
however, to shew that it was not for want of power on His
part that He delivered up the Jews, but for the sins of the
people themselves, sent lions to afflict the barbarians. This
was told the king, and he sent a priest to instruct them in
God's law. But not even then did they wholly cease from
their iniquity, but only half changed. For in process of
time they turned to idols again, though they still wor-
shipped God, calling themselves after the mountain,
Samaritans. Bede. He must needs pass through Samaria ;
because that country lay between Judea and Galilee.
Samaria was the principal city of a province of Palestine, and
gave its name to the whole district connected with it. The
particular place to which our Lord went is next given : Then
cornel h He to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar.
Liiiys. Chrys. It was the place where Simeon and I>evi made a
• great slaughter for Dinah. Theophyl. But after the sons
of Jacob had desolated the city, by the slaughter of the
Sychemites, Jacob annexed it to the portion of his son Joseph,
Gen. 48, as we read in Genesis, / have given to thee one portion above
22, thy brethren, which I took oat of the hand of the Amorite
with my sword, and with my bow. This is referred to in
what follows, Near to the place of ground which Jacob gave
to his son Jose pit.
A Now Jacob's well was there. Aug. It was a well. Every
Tr. xv. well is a spring, but every spring is not a well. Any water
that rises from the ground, and can be drawn for use, is a
spring: but where it is ready at hand, and on the surface, it
is called a spring only; where it is deep and low down, it is
VER. 1 — 6. ST. JOHN. 137
called a well, not a spring. Theophyl. But why does the
Evangelist make mention of the parcel of ground, and the
well ? First, to explain what the woman says, Our father
Jacob gave us this well; secondly, to remind you that what
the Patriarchs obtained bv their faith in God, the Jews had lost
by their impiety. They had been supplanted to make room
for Gentiles. And therefore there is nothing new in what
has now taken place, i. e. in the Gentiles succeeding to the
kingdom of heaven in the place of the Jews. Chrys. Christ Chrys.
prefers labour and exercise to ease and luxury, and therefore xx°^t'3p
travels to Samaria, not in a carriage but on foot; until at
last the exertion of the journey fatigues Him; a lesson to us,
that so far from indulging in superfluities, we should often
even deprive ourselves of necessaries: Jesus therefore being
wearied with His journey, fyc. Aug. Jesus, we see, is strong Aug.
and weak: strong, because in the beginning was the J¥ord;Tr'XY>
weak, because the Word was made flesh. Jesus thus weak,
being wearied with his journey, sat on the icell. Chrys. As Chrys.
if to say, not on a seat, or a couch, but on the first place He saw xxx, 3.
— upon the ground. He sat down because He was wearied, and
to wait for the disciples. The coolness of the well would be
refreshing in the midday heat: And it teas about the sixth
hour. Theophyl. He mentions our Lord's sitting and
resting from His journey, that none might blame Him for
going to Samaria Himself, after He had forbidden the
disciples going. Alcuin. Our Lord left Judaea also mys-
tically, i. e. He left the unbelief of those who condemned
Him, and by His Apostles, went into Galilee, i. e. into the
fickleness a of the world; thus teaching His disciples to pass
from vices to virtues. The parcel of ground I conceive to
have been left not so much to Joseph, as to Christ, of whom
Joseph was a type; whom the sun, and moon, and all the
stars truly adore. To this parcel of ground our Lord came,
that the Samaritans, who claimed to be inheritors of the
Patriarch Israel, might recognise Him, and be converted to
Christ, the legal heir of the Patriarch. Aug. His journey Aug.
is His assumption of the flesh for our sake. For whither Tr:xv*
doth He go, Who is every where present? AVhat is this,
term
8 The Heb. root signifying to roll, revolve, tfce. as applied to idols, it is a
rm of shame.
138 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. TV.
except that it was necessary for Him, in order to come to
us, to take upon Him visibly a form of flesh ? So then
His being wearied with His journey, what meaneth it, but
that He is wearied with the flesh? And wherefore is it the
sixth hour? Because it is the sixth age of the world. Reckon
severally as hours, the first age from Adam to Noah, the
second from Noah to Abraham, the third from Abraham to
David, the fourth from David unto the carrying away into
Babylon, the fifth from thence to the baptism of John ; on
Aug. 1. this calculation the present age is the sixth hour. Aug. At
Qu£pst.' the sixth hour then our Lord comes to the well. The black
qu. 64. abyss of the well, methinks, represents the lowest parts of
this universe, i. e. the earth, to which Jesus came at the sixth
hour, that is, in the sixth age of mankind, the old age, as it
Col. 3,9. were, of the old man, which we are bidden to put off, that we
may put on the new. For so do we reckon the different ages
of man's life: the first age is infancy, the second childhood,
the third boyhood, the fourth youth, the fifth manhood, the
sixth old age. Again, the sixth hour, being the middle of the
day, the time at which the sun begins to descend, signifies
that we, who are called by Christ, are to check our pleasure
in visible things, that by the love of things invisible refresh-
ing the inner man, we may be restored to the inward light
which never fails. By His sitting is signified His humility,
or perhaps His magisterial character; teachers being accus-
tomed to sit.
7. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water :
Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city
to buy meat.)
9. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him,
How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest chink of me,
which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no
dealings with the Samaritans.
10. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to
thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of
him, and he would have given thee living water.
VER. 7 12. ST. JOHN. 139
11. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast
nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from
whence then hast thou that living water?
12. Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which
gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his
children, and his cattle?
Chrys. That this conversation might not appear a violation chrys.
of His own injunctions against talking to the Samaritans, the Hon?*
XXXI, 4»
Evangelist explains how it arose; viz. for He did not come
with the intention beforehand of talking with the woman, but
only would not send the woman away, when she had come.
There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Observe,
she comes quite by chance. Aug. The woman here is the Aug.
type of the Church, not yet justified, but just about to be.x^ac'
And it is a part of the resemblance, that she comes from a19-
foreign people. The Samaritans were foreigners, though they
were neighbours; and in like manner the Church was to come
from the Gentiles, and to be alien from the Jewish race.
Theophyl. The argument with the woman arises naturally
from the occasion : Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. As
man, the labour and heat He had undergone had made Him
thirsty. Aug. Jesus also thirsted after that woman's faith ? Aug-.V
lxxxiii
He thirsteth for their faith, for whom He shed His blood. QUEest#*
Chrys. This shews us too not only our Lord's strength ^u- 64-
. Chrys.
and endurance as a traveller, but also his carelessness about Hom.
food; for His disciples did not carry about food with them,XXX1'3'
since it follows, His disciples were gone away into the city
to buy food. Herein is shewn the humility of Christ; He is
left alone. It was in His power, had He pleased, not to send
away all, or, on their going away, to leave others in their place
to wait on Him. But He did not choose to have it so: for in
this way He accustomed His disciples to trample upon
pride of every kind. However some one will say, Is humility
in fishermen and tent-makers so great a matter? But these
very men were all on a sudden raised to the most lofty
situation upon earth, that of friends and followers of the
Lord of the whole earth. And men of humble origin, when
they arrive at dignity, are on this very account more liable
140 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
than others to be lifted up with pride; the honour being so
new to them. Our Lord therefore to keep His disciples
humble, taught them in all things to subdue themselves.
The woman on being told, Give Me to drink, very naturally
asks, How is it that TJwu, being a Jew, askest drink of me,
who am a woman of Samaria? She knew Him to be a Jew
from His figure and speech. Here observe her simpleness.
For even had our Lord been bound to abstain from dealing
with her, that was His concern, not hers; the Evangelist
saying not that the Samaritans would have no dealings with
the Jews, but that the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans. The woman however, though not in fault her-
self, wished to correct what she thought a fault in another.
The Jews after their return from the captivity entertained
a jealousy of the Samaritans, whom they regarded as aliens,
and enemies; and the Samaritans did not use all the Scrip-
tures, but only the writings of Moses, and made little of the
Prophets. They claimed to be of Jewish origin, but the Jews
considered them Gentiles, and hated them, as they did the
Aug. rest of the Gentile world. Aug. The Jews would not even
xiii. ' use their vessels. So it would astonish the woman to hear
a Jew ask to drink out of her vessel; a thing so contrary to
Jewish rule. Chrys. But why did Christ ask what the
law allowed not? It is no answer to say that He knew she
would not give it, for in that case, He clearly ought not
to have asked for it. Rather His very reason for asking,
was to shew His indifference to such observances, and to
Aug. abolish them for the future. Aug. He who asked to drink,
XTrac ' however, out of the woman's vessel, thirsted for the woman's
faith: Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest
the gift of God, or Who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to
drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have
Origen. given thee living water. Origen. For it is as it were a doc-
£"tSI" trine, that no one receives a divine gift, who seeks not for it.
m o Oct ii« *-'
Even the Saviour Himself is commanded by the Father to
Ps.2,8.ask, that He may give it Him, as we read, Require of
Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for TJiine inheritance.
Lukell, And our Saviour Himself says, Ask, and it shall be given
you. Wherefore He says here emphatically, Thou wouldest
have asked of Him, and He would have given thee. Aug.
VER. 7 — 12. ST. JOHN. 141
He lets her know that it was not the water, which she meant, Aug. l.
that He asked for; but that knowing her faith, He wished Quaest.'
to satisfy her thirst, by giving her the Holy Spirit. For so9u-64-
must we interpret the living water, which is the gift of God;
as He saith, If thou knewest the gift of God. Aug. Living Aug.
water is that which comes out of a spring, in distinction to
what is collected in ponds and cisterns from the rain. If
spring water too becomes stagnant, i. e. collects into some
spot, where it is quite separated from its fountain head, it
ceases to be living water. Chrys. In Scripture the grace of Chrys.
the Holy Spirit is sometimes called fire, sometimes water, xxxij.
which shews that these words are expressive not of its sub-
stance, but of its action. The metaphor of fire conveys
the lively and sin-consuming property of grace; that of
water the cleansing of the Spirit, and the refreshing of
the souls who receive Him. Theophyl. The grace of the
Holy Spirit then He calls living water; i. e. lifegiving,
refreshing, stirring. For the grace of the Holy Spirit is
ever stirring him who does good works, directing the
risings of his heart. Chrys. These words raised the woman's Chrys.
TT
notions of our Lord, and make her think Him no common xxxi' 4,
person. She addresses Him reverentially by the title of
Lord; The woman saith unto Him, Lord, Thou hast nothing
to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast
Thou that living water? Aug. She understands the living Aug.
water to be the water in the well; and therefore says, Thoucrj*v
wishest to give me living water; but Thou hast nothing to
draw with as I have: Thou canst not then give me this living
water; Art Thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us
the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and
his cattle ? Chrys. As if she said, Thou canst not say that Chrys.
Jacob gave us this spring, and used another himself; for hexxxi.*4.
and they that were with him drank thereof, which would not
have been done, had he had another better one. Thou
canst not then give me of this spring; and Thou hast not
another better spring, unless Thou confess Thyself greater
than Jacob. Whence then hast Thou the water, which Thou
promisest to give us? Theophyl. The addition, and his
cattle, shews the abundance of the water; as if she said, Not
only is the water sweet, so that Jacob and his sons drank of it,
14-2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
but so abundant, that it satisfied the vast multitude of the
Chrys. Patriarchs' cattle. Chrys. See how she thrusts herself upon
Horn. . . .
xxxi. 4. the Jewish stock. The Samaritans claimed Abraham as their
ancestor, on the ground of his having come from Chaldea;
and called Jacob their father, as being Abraham's grandson.
Bede. Or she calls Jacob their father, because she lived
under the Mosaic law, and possessed the farm which Jacob
0riP>: , gave to his son Joseph. Origen. In the mystical sense,
'Jacob's well is the Scriptures. The learned then drink
like Jacob and his sons; the simple and uneducated, like
Jacob's cattle.
13. Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again :
14. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall
give him shall never thirst; but the water that I
shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing
up into everlasting life.
15. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this
water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and
come hither.
17. The woman answered and said, I have no hus-
band. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I
have no husband :
18. For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom
thou now hast is not thy husband : in that saidst thou
truly.
Chrys. Chrys. To the woman's question, Art Thou greater than
)n): , our father Jacob ? He does not reply, 1 am greater, lest He
should seem to boast; but His answer implies it; Jesus
answered and said to her, Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh of the water that
I shall give him shall never thirst ; as if He said, If Jacob
is to be honoured because he gave you this water, what wilt
thou say, if I give thee far better than this ? He makes the
comparison however not to depreciate Jacob, but to exalt
XXX
If.
VER. 13 — 18. ST. JOHN. 143
Himself. For He does not say, that this water is vile and
counterfeit, but asserts a simple fact of nature, viz. that
whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. Aug. Auc
Which is true indeed both of material water, and of that ofc>r{™
which it is the type. For the water in the well is the
pleasure of the world, that abode of darkness. Men draw
it with the waterpot of their lusts ; pleasure is not relished,
except it be preceded by lust. And when a man has en-
joyed this pleasure, i. e. drunk of the water, he thirsts again ;
but if he have received water from Me, he shall never thirst.
For how shall they thirst, who are drunken with the
abundance of the house of God ? But He promised this Ps.36,8.
fulness of the Holy Spirit. Chrys. The excellence of this Chrys.
water, viz. that he that drinketh of it never thirsts, He ex- Hon?;
xxxii.
plains in what follows, But the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life. As a man who had a spring within him, would never
feel thirst, so will not he who has this water which I shall
give him. Theophyl. For the water which I give him is
ever multiplying. The saints receive through grace the
seed and principle of good ; but they themselves make it
grow by their own cultivation. Chrys. See how the woman Chrys.
is led by degrees to the highest doctrine. First, she thought Hoi?.\
*-' XXX11»X«
He was some lax Jew. Then hearing of the living water,
she thought it meant material water. Afterwards she under-
stands it as spoken spiritually, and believes that it can
take away thirst, but she does not yet know what it is, only
understands that it was superior to material things : The
woman saith unto Him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst
not, neither come hither to draw. Observe, she prefers Him
to the patriarch Jacob, for whom she had such veneration.
Aug. Or thus ; The woman as yet understands Him of the Aug.
flesh only. She is delighted to be relieved for ever from Ti'-XiV«
thirst, and takes this promise of our Lord's in a carnal sense.
For God had once granted to His servant Elijah, that he
should neither hunger nor thirst for forty days ; and if He
could grant this for forty days, why not for ever ? Eager to
possess such a gift, she asks Him for the living water ; The
woman saith unto Him, Sir, give me this ivater, that I thirst
not, neither come hither to draw. Her poverty obliged her
144 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
to labour more than her strength could well bear ; would
Mat. n, that she could hear, Come unto Me, all that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will refresh you. Jesus had said this
very thing, i. e. that she need not labour any longer ; but
she did not understand Him. At last our Lord was resolved
that she should understand : Jesus saith unto her, Go call
thy husband, and come hither. What meaneth this ? Did
He wish to give her the water through her husband ? Or,
because she did not understand, did He wish to teach her
by means of her husband ? The Apostle indeed saith of
1 Cor. women, If they will learn any thing, let them ask their
husbands at home. But this applies only where Jesus is not
present. Our Lord Himself was present here ; what need
then that He should speak to her through her husband ?
Was it through her husband that He spoke to Mary? who
Chrys. sat at His feet ? Chrys. The woman then being urgent in
xxxii* 2. asking for the promised water, Jesus saith unto her, Go call
thy husband ; to shew that he too ought to have a share in
these things. But she was in a hurry to receive the gift, and
wished to conceal her guilt, (for she still imagined she was
, speaking to a man :) The woman answered and said, I have
no husband. Christ answers her with a seasonable reproof;
exposing her as to former husbands, and as to her present
one, whom she had concealed ; Jesus said unto her, Thou
£u&- hast well said, I have no husband. Aug. Understand, that
Tr. xv.
c. 20. the woman had not a lawful husband, but had formed an
irregular connexion with some one. He tells her, Thou hast
had Jive husbands, in order to shew her His miraculous
Orig. knowledge. Origen. May not Jacob's well signify mystically
tom.xm. t]ie ]etter of Scripture ; the water of Jesus, that which is above
in Joan. r
c. 5, 6. the letter, which all are not allowed to penetrate into ? That
which is written was dictated by men, whereas the things
which the eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, cannot be reduced to writing,
but are from the fountain of water, that springeth up unto
everlasting life, i. e. the Holy Ghost. These truths are un-
folded to such as carrying no longer a human heart within
l Cor. them, are able to say with the Apostle, We have the mind of
Hj l6- Christ. Human wisdom indeed discovers truths, which are
handed down to posterity ; but the teaching of the Spirit is
VEK. 13 18. ST. JOHN. 145
a well of water which springeth up into everlasting life. The
woman wished to attain, like the angels, to angelic and
super-human truth without the use of Jacob's water. For
the angels have a well of water within them, springing from
the Word of God Himself. She says therefore, Sir, give me
this water. But it is impossible here to have the water
which is given by the Word, without that which is drawn
from Jacob's well ; and therefore Jesus seems to tell the
woman that He cannot supply her with it from any other
source than Jacob's well; If we are thirstv, we must first
drink from Jacob's wrell. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy
husband, and come hither. According to the Apostle, the Rom. 7,
Law is the husband of the soul. Aug. The five husbands 1"
Aug. lib.
some interpret to be the five books which were given bylxxxiii.
Moses. And the words, He whom thou now hast is not thy^^l'
husband, they understand as spoken by our Lord of Himself;
as if He said, Thou hast served the five books of Moses, as
fLve husbands ; but now he ichom thou hast, i, e. whom thou
nearest, is not thy husband ; for thou dost not yet believe in
him. But if she did not believe in Christ, she was still
united to those five husbands, i. e. five books, and therefore
why is it \ aid, Thou hast had five husbands, as if she no
longer 1 ad them ? And how do we understand that a man
must have these five books, in order to pass over to Christ,
when he who believes in Christ, so far from forsaking these
books, embraces them in this spiritual meaning the more
strongly ? Let us turn to another interpretation. Aug. Aug.
Jesus seeing that the woman did not understand, and r(9xv*
wishing to enlighten her, says, Call thy husband; i. e.
apply thine understanding. For when the life is well
ordered, the understanding governs the soul itself, per-
taining to the soul. For though it is indeed nothing else
than the soul, it is at the same time a certain part of the soul.
And this very part of the soul which is called the under-
standing and the intellect, is itself illuminated by a light
superior to itself. Such a Light was talking with the woman ;
but in her there was not understanding to be enlightened.
Our Lord then, as it were, says, I wish to enlighten, and
there is not one to be enlightened ; Call thy husband, i. e.
apply thine understanding, through which thou must be
L
140 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
taught, by which governed. The five former husbands may
be explained as the five senses, thus : a man before he has
the use of his reason, is entirely under the government of
his bodilv senses. Then reason comes into action ; and
from that time forward he is capable of entertaining ideas,
and is either under the influence of truth or error. The
woman had been under the influence of error, which error
was not her lawful husband, but an adulterer. Wherefore
our Lord says, Put away that adulterer which corrupts thee,
and call thy husband, that thou mayest understand Me.
Origen. Origen. And what more proper place than Jacob's well,
^om.xm. £oi. eXp0Sjng t]ie unlawful husband, i. e. the perverse law ?
For the Samaritan woman is meant to figure to us a soul,
that has subjected itself to a kind of law of its own, not the
divine law. And our Saviour wishes to many her to a
lawful husband, i. e. Himself; the Word of truth which was
to rise from the dead, and never again to die.
19. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that
thou art a prophet.
20. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and
ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men
ought to worship.
21. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the
hour cometh, when ye shall neither in tins mountain,
nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what
we worship : for salvation is of the Jews.
23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the
true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and
in truth : for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Chrrs. Chrys. The woman is not offended at Christ's rebuke.
She does not leave Him, and go away. Far from it: her
admiration for Him is raised: The woman saith unto Him,
Sir, I perceive that Thou art a Prophet : as if she said, Thy
knowledge of me is unaccountable, Thou must be a prophet.
Horn,
xx- ii.
VER. 19 24. ST. JOHN. 147
Aug. The husband was beginning to come to her, though Aug.
He had not yet fully come. She thought our Lord a prophet, c '23 '
and He was a prophet: for He says of Himself, A prophet Mat.i3>
is not without honour, save in his own country. Chrys. chrys.
And having come to this belief she asks no questions relating Ho™-
to this life, the health or sickness of the body: she is not
troubled about thirst, she is eager for doctrine. Aug. And she Aug.
Tr. xv
begins enquiries on a subject that perplexed her; Our fathers c. 23. '
worshipped in this mountain ; and ye say that in Jerusalem
is the place where men ought to worship. This was a great
dispute between the Samaritans and the Jews. The Jews
worshipped in the temple built by Solomon, and made this
a ground of boasting over the Samaritans. The Samaritans
replied, Why boast ye, because ye have a temple which
we have not? Did our fathers, who pleased God, worship in
that temple ? Is it not better to pray to God in this mountain,
where our fathers worshipped? Chrys. By, our fathers, Chrys.
she means Abraham, who is said to have offered up Isaac xx°^{2
here. Origen. Or thus; The Samaritans regarded Mount Origen.
Gerizim, near which Jacob dwelt, as sacred, and worshipped J,01??111"
upon it; while the sacred place of the Jews was Mount
Sion, God's own choice. The Jews being the people from
whom salvation came, are the type of true believers; the
Samaritans of heretics. Gerizim, which signifies division,
becomes the Samaritans; Sion, which signifies watch-tower,
becomes the Jews. Chrys. Christ however does not solve Chrys.
this question immediately, but leads the woman to higherX3^3
things, of which He had not spoken till she acknowledged
Him to be a prophet, and therefore listened with a more full
belief: Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour
cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father. He says, Believe me, because
we have need of faith, the mother of all good, the medicine
of salvation, in order to obtain any real good. They who
endeavour without it, are like men who venture on the sea
without a boat, and, being able to swim only a little way, are
drowned. Aug. Believe Me, our Lord says with fitness, as the \ug.
husband is now present. For now there is one in thee that
believes, thou hast begun to be present in the understanding,
but if ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. Isa. 7,
L 2 !'-
Tr. xv.
c. 24.
148 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
Alcuin. In saying, the hour cometh, He refers to the Gospel
dispensation, which was now approaching; under which the
shadows of types were to withdraw, and the pure light of
Chrys. truth was to enlighten the minds of believers. Chrys. There
"•• was no necessity for Christ to shew why the fathers wor-
i. shipped in the mountain, and the Jews in Jerusalem. He
therefore was silent on that question; but nevertheless
asserted the religious superiority of the Jews on another
ground, the ground not of place, but of knowledge ; Ye
worship ye know not what, we know what we worship; for
Orig. salvation is of the Jews. Origen. Ye, literally refers to
tom.„xiii.the Samaritans, but mystically, to all who understand the
Scriptures in an heretical sense. We again literally means
the Jews, but mystically, I the Word, and all who conformed
to My Image, obtain salvation from the Jewish Scriptures.
Chrys. Chrys. The Samaritans worshipped they knew not what,
Hom.'. , a local, a partial God, as they imagined, of whom they had
the same notion that they had of their idols. And therefore
they mingled the worship of God with the worship of idols.
But the Jews were free from this superstition: indeed they
knew God to be'the God of the whole world; wherefore He
says, We worship vjhat we know. He reckons Himself
among the Jews, in condescension to the woman's idea of
Him; and says as if He were a Jewish prophet, We worship,
though it is certain that He is the Being who is worshipped
by all. The words, For salvation is of the Jews, mean that
every thing calculated to save and amend the world, the
knowledge of God, the abhorrence of idols, and all other-
doctrines of that nature, and even the very origin of our
religion, comes originally from the Jewrs. In salvation
too He includes His own presence, wdiich He says is of the
Rom. 9, Jews, as we are told by the Apostle, Of whom as concerning
the flesh Christ came. See how He exalts the Old Tes-
tament, which He shews to be the root of every thing good;
thus proving in every way that He Himself is not opposed to
Aug. the Law. Aug. It is saying much for the Jews, to declare in
'* their name, We worship what we know. But He does not
J r. xv.
c. 26. speak for the reprobate Jews, but for that party from whom the
Apostles and the Prophets came. Such were all those saints
who laid the prices of their possessions at the Apostle's feet.
VER. 19—24. ST. JOHN. 149
Chrys. The Jewish worship then was far higher than theCbrys.
Samaritan; but even it shall be abolished; The hour cometh, x£±iii.\.
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth. He says, and now is, to
shew that this was not a prediction, like those of the ancient
Prophets, to be fulfilled in the course of ages. The event, He
says, is now at hand, it is approaching your very doors.
The words, true worshippers, are by way of distinction:
for there are false worshippers who pray for temporal and
frail benefits, or whose actions are ever contradicting their
prayers. Chrys. Or by saying, true, he excludes the Jews Chrys.
together with the Samaritans. For the Jews, though better Ho.™*9
A A 1.1. — ■ •
than the Samaritans, were vet as much inferior to those who
were to succeed them, as the type is to the reality. The
true worshippers do not confine the worship of God lo place,
but worship in the spirit; as Paul saith, Whom I serve with , Rom. l,
my spirit. Origen. Twice it is said, The hour cometh, o'ri^en.
and the first time without the addition, and now is, Thetom'xuu
c. 14.
first seems to allude to that purely spiritual worship which
is suited only to a state of perfection; the second to earthly
worship, perfected as far as is consistent with human nature.
When that hour cometh, which our Lord speaks of, the
mountain of the Samaritans must be avoided, and God
must be worshipped in Sion, where is Jerusalem, which
is called by Christ the city of the Great King. And this
is the Church, where sacred oblations and spiritual victims
are offered up by those who understand the spiritual law.
So that when the fulness of time shall have come, the true
worship, we must suppose, will no longer be attached to
Jerusalem, i. e. to the present Church: for the Angels do
not worship the Father at Jerusalem: and thus those who
have obtained the likeness of the Jews, worship the Father
better than they who are at Jerusalem. And when this
hour is come, we shall be accounted by the Father as sons.
Wherefore it is not said, Worship God, but, Worship the
Father. But for the present the true worshippers worship
the Father in spirit and in truth11. Chrys. He speaks here Chrys.
Horn.
a Origen literally. The words the hour is capable of in this life. So until the xxxiii.2.
cometh are repeated; the second time hour shall have come which the Lord
with the addition and now is. I think speaks of, the mountain of the Sama-
that the first expression signifies the ritans (who represent those who separate
most perfect worship that human nature themselves ftom the Church) is to be
150 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
of the Church ; wherein there is true worship, and such as
becometh God; and therefore adds, For the Father seeketh
such to worship Him. For though formerly He willed that
mankind should linger under a dispensation of types and
figures, this was only done in condescension to human
frailty, and to prepare men for the reception of the truth.
Origen. Origen. But if the Father seeks, He seeks through Jesus,
c. 20. Who came to seek and to save that which was lost, and to
teach men what true worship was. God is a Spirit ; i. e.
He constitutes our real life, just as our breath (spirit) con-
Chrys. stitutes our bodily life. Chrys. Or it signifies that God is
sxxii'. 2. incorporeal; and that therefore He ought to be worshipped
not with the body, but with the soul, by the offering up
a pure mind, i. e. that they who worship Him, must worship
Him in spirit and in truth. The Jews neglected the soul,
but paid great attention to the body, and had various kinds
of purification. Our Lord seems here to refer to this, and
to say, not by cleansing of the body, but by the incorporeal
nature within us, i. e. the understanding, which He calls
the spirit, that we must worship the incorporeal God.
Hilar. Hilary. Or, by saying that God being a Spirit ought to be
Trin. c. worshipped in spirit, He indicates the freedom and knowledge
of the worshippers, and the uncircumscribed nature of the
2 Cor. worship: according to the saying of the Apostle, Where the
c'hrys. Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Chrys. And that we
^ 0 are to worship in truth, means that whereas the former ordi-
nances were typical; that is to say, circumcision, burnt
offerings, and sacrifices ; now, on the contrary, every thing
is real. Theophyl. Or, because many think that they
worship God in the spirit, i, e. with the mind, who yet held
heretical doctrines concerning Him, for this reason He adds,
and in truth. May not the words too refer to the two kinds
of philosophy among us, i. e. active and contemplative ; the
Rom. 8, spirit standing for action, according to the Apostle, As many
14.
avoided and God must be worshipped in worship the Father at Jerusalem : and
Sion at Jerusalem, which Christ calls so those who are like them worship
the city of the Great King. What is the Father better than those who are in
this but the Church where the holy Jerusalem, even though for the sake of
offerings of spiritual victims are pre- the latter they abide with them, and
sented by men of spiritual minds P But become Jews to the Jews, that they
when the fulness of time shall have may gain the Jews. And when &c.
come, the true worship will no longer be Nicolai has missed the meaning of the
performed in Jerusalem, that is, in the last sentence,
present Church. For the Angels do not
VEIL 25, 2(>. ST. JOHN. 151
as are led by the Spirit of God; truth, on the other hand, for
contemplation. Or, (to take another view,) as the Samaritans
thought that God was confined to a certain place, and ought
to be worshipped in that place; in opposition to this notion,
our Lord may mean to teach them here, that the true wor-
shippers worship not locally, but spiritually. Or again, all
being a type and shadow in the Jewish system, the meaning
may be that the true worshippers will worship not in type,
but in truth. God being a Spirit, seeketh for spiritual wor-
shippers; being the truth, for true ones. Aug. O for a Aug.
mountain to pray on, thou criest, high and inaccessible, that „*'
I may be nearer to God, and God may hear me better, for
He dwelleth on high. Yes, God dwelleth on high, but He
hath respect unto the humble. Wherefore descend that thou
mayest ascend. " Ways on high are in their heart," it is said, Ps.74,7.
" passing in the valley of tears," and in " tears" is humility.
Wouldest thou pray in the temple? pray in thyself; but first
do thou become the temple of God.
25. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias
cometh, which is called Christ : when he is come, he
will tell us all things.
26. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee
am he.
Chrys. The woman was struck with astonishment at the Chrys.
Horn,
xxxii. 2.
loftiness of His teaching, as her words shew : The woman saith
unto Him, I know that 3Iessias cometh, which is called Christ.
Aug. Unctus in Latin, Christ in Greek, in the Hebrew Aug.
Messias. She knew then who coidd teach her, but did not „?v"
c. 2/.
know Who was teaching her. When He is come, He will tell
us all things: as if she said, The Jews now contend for the
temple, we for the mountain; but He, when He comes, will
level the mountain, overthrow the temple, and teach us how
to pray in spirit and in truth. Chrys. But what reason had Chrys.
the Samaritans for expecting Christ's coming? They acknow- XMii*. g.
ledged the books of Moses, which foretold it. Jacob prophesies
of Christ, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a Gen. 49,
lawgiver from beneath his feet, until Shiloh come. And Moses
says, The Lord thy God shall raise up a Prophet from the 15eu
15'2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
Orig. midst of thee, of thy brethren. Origen. It should be known,
£™£lll,that as Christ rose out of the Jews, not only declaring but
proving Himself to be Christ ; so among the Samaritans
there arose one Dositheus by name, who asserted that he
Aug.Hb. was the Christ prophesied of. Aug. It is a confirmation to
Quaes"' discerning minds that the five senses were what were signified
qu. 64. by the five husbands, to find the woman making five carnal
Chrys. answers, and then mentioning the name of Christ. Chrys.
wv^i o Christ now reveals Himself to the woman : Jesus saith unto
•a A A I J 1 , _ ,
her, I that speak unto thee am He. Had He told the woman
this to begin with, it would have appeared vanity. Now,
having gradually awakened her to the thought of Christ, His
disclosure of Himself is perfectly opportune. He is not
Johnio equally open to the Jews, who ask Him, If Thou be the Christ,
24- tell us plainly ; for this reason, that they did not ask in order
to learn, but to do Him injury ; whereas she spoke in the
simplicity of her heart.
27. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled
that he talked with the woman: yet no man said,
What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her
way into the city, and saith to the men,
29. Come, see a man, which told me all things that
ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30. Then they went out of the city, and came unto
him.
Chrys. Chrys. The disciples arrive opportunely, and when the
Hom. teaching is finished : And upon this came His disciples, and
2, 3. marvelled that He talked with the woman. They marvelled
at the exceeding kindness and humility of Christ, in con-
descending to converse with a poor woman, and a Sama-
Aug. ritan. Aug. He who came to seek that which was lost,
Tr. xv. sought the lost one. This was what they marvelled at: they
Chr rg marvelled at His goodness; they did not suspect evil. Chrys.
Hom. But notwithstanding their wonder, thev asked Him no
' questions, No man said, What seekest Thou? or, Why talkest
Thou with her? So careful were they to observe the rank of
disciples, so great was their awe and veneration for Him.
VER. 27 — 30. ST. JOHN. 153
On subjects indeed which concerned themselves, they did
not hesitate to ask Him questions. But this was not one.
Origen. The woman is almost turned into an Apostle. SoOrig.
forcible are His words, that she leaves her waterpot to go to[onJ,X111'
the city, and tell her townsmen of them. T7ie> woman then^ 28.
left her waterpot, i. e. gave up low bodily cares, for the sake
of benefitting others. Let us do the same. Let us leave off
caring for things of the body, and impart to others of our
own. Aug. Hydria answers to our word aquarium; hydor Au
being Greek for water. Chrys. As the Apostles, on being Tr. xv.
called, left their nets, so does she leave her waterpot, to do c'hrys.
the work of an Evangelist, by calling not one person, but aHom-
xxxiv.l.
whole city: She went her way into the city, and saith to the
men, Come, see a man which told me all tilings that ever I
did: is not this the Christ? Origen. She calls them ori„
together to see a man, whose words were deeper than man's, tom.xiii.
She had had five husbands, and then was living with thee. 29.
sixth, not a lawful husband. But now she gives him up for
a seventh, and she leaving her waterpot, is converted to
chastity. Chrys. She was not prevented by shame-faced- chrys.
ness from spreading about what had been said to her. Hom-
. . xxxiv.l
For the soul, when it is once kindled by the divine flame,
regards neither glory, nor shame, nor any other earthly thing,
only the flame which consumes it. But she did not wish
them to trust to her own report only, but to come and judge
of Christ for themselves. Come, see a man, she says. She
does not say, Come and believe, but, Come and see; which
is an easier matter. For well she knew that if they only
tasted of that well, they would feel as she did. Alcuin. It
is only by degrees, however, that she comes to the preaching
of Christ. First she calls Him a man, not Christ; for fear
those who heard her might be angry, and refuse to come.
Chrys. She then neither openly preaches Christ, nor wholly Chrys.
omits Him, but says, Is not this the Christ? This wakened Hom#
" xxxiv.l.
their attention, Then they went ont of the city, and came
unto Him. Aug. The circumstance of the woman's leaving
her waterpot on going away, must not be overlooked. For
the waterpot signifiesthelove of this world, i. e. concupiscence,
by which men from the dark depth, of which the well is the
image, i. e. from an earthly conversation, draw up pleasure.
Tr. xv.
c. 30
154 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
It was right then for one who believed in Christ to renounce
the world, and, by leaving her waterpot, to shew that she had
Aug. parted with worldly desires. Aug. She cast away therefore
concupiscence, and hastened to proclaim the truth. Let
those who wish to preach the Gospel, learn, that they should
Orig. first leave their waterpots at the well. Origen. The woman
tom.xni. jjavjng become a vessel of wholesome discipline, lays aside
as contemptible her former tastes and desires.
31. In the mean while his disciples prayed him,
saying, Master, eat.
32. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that
ye know not of.
33. Therefore said the disciples one to another,
Hath any man brought him ought to eat ?
34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the
will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Aug. Aug. His disciples had gone to buy food, and had re-
Tr. xv. turned. Thev offered Christ some: In the mean while His
c. 31 .
disciples -prayed Him, saying, Master, eat. Chrys. They
all ask Him at once, Him so fatigued with the journey and
heat. This is not impatience in them, but simply love, and
Orig. tenderness to their Master. Origen. They think the pre-
toin.xm. genj. time convenient for dining ; it being after the departure
C» Ol«
of the woman to the city, and before the coming of the
Samaritans ; so that they sit at meat by themselves. This
explains, In the mean ivhile. Theophyl. Our Lord, know-
ing that the woman of Samaria was bringing the whole town
out to Him, tells His disciples, / have meat that ye know
Chrys. not of. Chrys. The salvation of men He calls His food,
m* shewing His great desire that we should be saved. As food
is an object of desire to us, so was the salvation of men to
Him. Observe, He does not express Himself directly, but
figuratively ; which makes some trouble necessary for His
hearers, in order to comprehend His meaning, and thus
gives a greater importance to that meaning when it is
understood. Theophyl. That ye know not of i. e. know
not that I call the salvation of men food ; or, know not that
XXXIV.
VER. 31 — 84. ST. JOHN. 155
the Samaritans are about to believe and be saved. The
disciples however were in perplexity : Therefore said the
disciples one to another, Hath any man brought Him ought
to eat ? Aug. What wonder that the woman did not under- Aug.
rp
stand about the wrater ? Lo, the disciples do not under- c j^
stand about the meat. Chrys. They shew, as usual, the Chiya.
honour and reverence in which they hold their Master, by "?•
J * J XXXIV.
talking among themselves, and not presuming to question l.
Him. Theophyl. From the question of the disciples, Hath
any man brought Him ought to eat, we may infer that our
Lord was accustomed to receive food from others, when it
was offered Him : not that He who giveth food to all flesh, Ps. 146.
needed any assistance ; but He received it, that they who
gave it might obtain their reward, and that poverty thence-
forth might not blush, nor the support of others be esteemed
a disgrace. It is proper and necessary that teachers should
depend on others to provide them with food, in order that,
being free from all other cares, they may attend the more
to the ministry of the word. Aug. Our Lord heard His A
doubting disciples, and answered them as disciples, i. e.Tr. xv.
plainly and expressly, not circuitously, as He answered the
women; Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of
Him that sent Me. Origen. Fit meat for the Son of God, orig.
who was so obedient to the Father, that in Him was the t0™*X111,
C • O*
same will that was in the Father : not two wills, but one will
in both. The Son is capable of first acccomplishing the
whole will of the Father. Other saints do nothing against
the Father's will ; He does that will. That is His meat in
an especial sense. And what means, To finish His work ?
It would seem easy to say, that a work was what was ordered
by him who set it ; as where men are set to build or dig.
But some who go deeper ask whether a work being finished
does not imply that it was before incomplete ; and whether
God could originally have made an incomplete work ? The
completing of the work, is the completing of a rational
creature : for it was to complete this work, which was as
yet imperfect, that the Word made flesh come. Theophyl.
He finished the work of God, i. e. man, He, the Son of God,
finished it by exhibiting our nature in Himself without sin,
perfect and uncorrupt. He finished also the work of God,
12.
156 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
Rom. i, e. the Law, (for Christ is the end of the Law,) by abolish-
ing it, when every thing in it had been fulfilled, and chang-
Orig. ing a carnal into a spiritual worship. Origen. The matter
tol?jxm* of spiritual drink and living water being explained, the sub-
ject of meat follows. Jesus had asked the woman of Samaria,
and she could give Him none good enough. Then came the
disciples, having procured some humble food among the
people of the country, and offered it Him, beseeching Him
to eat. They fear perhaps lest the Word of God, deprived
of His own proper nourishment, fail within them ; and
therefore with such as they have found, immediately propose
to feed Him, that being confirmed and strengthened, He
may abide with His nourishers. Souls require food as well
as bodies. And as bodies require different kinds of it, and
in different quantities, so is it in things which are above the
Heb. 5, body. Souls differ in capacity, and one needs more nou-
rishment, another less. So too in point of quality, the same
nourishment of words and thoughts does not suit all.
Infants just born need the milk of the word ; the grown up,
solid meat. Our Lord says, I have meat to eat. For one
,who is over the weak who cannot behold the same things
with the stronger, may always speak thusb.
35. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and
then cometh harvest ? behold, I say unto you, Lift up
your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white
already to harvest.
36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and
gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that
soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37. And herein is that saying true, One soweth,
and another reapeth.
38. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed
no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered
into their labours.
b i. e. those of weak faith cannot comfort he had in adversities, and what
understand the spiritual gifts and nou- sweet joys Thy Bread had for the
rishraent of the strong. It is " meat hidden mouth of his spirit — I neither
they know not of.'' So S. Aug , when could conjecture nor had experienced."
unconverted, of S. Ambrose, " What Conf. vi. 3.
VER. 35 38. ST. JOHN. 157
Chrys. What is the will of the Father He now proceeds Chrys.
to explain: Say ye not, There are yet four months, an d °^lt
then cometh harvest ? Theophyl. Now ye are expecting a
material harvest. But I say unto you, that a spiritual har-
vest is at hand: Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields;
for they are white already to harvest. He alludes to the
Samaritans who are approaching. Chrys. He leads them, chrys.
as his custom is, from low things to high. Fields and har- ™?u0
vest here express the great number of souls, which are ready
to receive the word. The eyes are both spiritual, and
bodily ones, for they saw a great multitude of Samaritans
now approaching. This expectant crowd he calls very suitably
white fields. For as the corn, when it grows white, is ready
for the harvest; so were these ready for salvation. But why
does He not say this in direct language ? Because by making
use in this way of the objects around them, he gave greater
vividness and power to His words, and brought the truth
home to them; and also that His discourse might be more
pleasant, and might sink deeper into their memories. Aug. Aug.
He was intent now on beginning the work, and hastened to c 32
send labourers: And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and
gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth
and he that reapeth may rejoice together. Chrys. Again, Chrys.
He distinguishes earthly from heavenly things, for as above HoiV*
0 J J xxxiv.2.
He said of the water, that he who drank of it should never
thirst, so here He says, He that reapeth gathereth fruit
unto life eternal ; adding, that both lie that soweth and he
that reapeth may rejoice together. The Prophets sowed,
the Apostles reaped, yet are not the former deprived of their
reward. For here a new thing is promised; viz. that both
sowers and reapers shall rejoice together. How different
this from what we see here. Now he that soweth grieveth
because he soweth for others, and he only that reapeth
rejoiceth. But in the new state, the sower and reaper share
the same wages. Aug. The Apostles and Prophets had Aug.
different labours, corresponding to the difference of times; ^x^
but both will attain to like joy, and receive together their
wages, even eternal life. Chrys. He confirms what He Chrys.
says by a proverb, And herein is that saying true, one ^^
soweth and another reapeth, i. e. one party has the labour,
158 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
and another reaps the fruit. The saying is especially applicable
here, for the Prophets had laboured, and the disciples reaped
the fruits of their labours: / sent you to reap that ichereon
Aug. ye bestowed no labour. Aug. So then He sent reapers, no
Tr* .^v- sowers. The reapers went where the Prophets had preached.
Head the account of their labours: they all contain prophecy
of Christ. And the harvest was gathered on that occasion
when so many thousands brought the prices of their pos-
sessions, and laid them at the Apostles' feet; relieving their
shoulders from earthly burdens, that they might follow Christ.
Yea verily, and from that harvest were a few grains scattered,
which filled the whole world. And now ariseth another harvest,
which will be reaped at the end of the world, not by Apostles,
Mat. 13. but by Angels. The reapers, He says, are the Angels. Chrys.
HonT I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour, i. e.
xxxiv.2. 1 have reserved you for a favourable time, in which the
labour is less, the enjoyment greater. The more laborious
part of the work was laid on the Prophets, viz. the sowing
of the seed: Other men laboured, and ye are entered into
their labours. Christ here throws light on the meaning of
the old prophecies. He shews that both the Law and the
Prophets, if rightly interpreted, led men to Him; and that
the Prophets were sent in fact by Himself. Thus the
intimate connexion is established between the Old Testament
Orig. and the New. Origen. How can we consistently give an
tom. xv. allegorical meaning to the words, Lift up your eyes, fyc. and
c.39-49. only a literal one to the words, There are yet four months,
and then comet h harvest? The same principle of inter-
pretation surely must be applied to the latter, that is to the
former. The four months represent the four elements, i. e.
our natural life; the harvest, the end of the world, when all
conflict shall have ceased, and truth shall prevail. The
disciples then regard the truth as incomprehensible in our
natural state, and look forward to the end of the world for
attaining the knowledge of it. But this idea our Lord con-
demns: Say not ye, there are four months, and then cometh
harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes. In
many places of Holy Scripture, we are commanded in the
same way to raise the thoughts of our minds, which cling
so obstinately to earth. A difficult task this for one who
VER. 35 — 38. ST. JOHN. 159
indulges his passions, and lives carnally. Such an one will
not see if the fields be white to the harvest. For when are
the fields white to the harvest? When the Word of God
comes to light up and make fruitful the fields of Scripture.
Indeed, all sensible things are as it were fields made white
for the harvest, if only reason be at hand to interpret them.
We lift up our eyes, and behold the whole universe over-
spread with the brightness of truth. And he that reapeth
those harvests, has a double reward of his reaping; first, his
wages; And he that reapeth receiveth wages; meaning his
reward in the life to come; secondly, a certain good state
of the understanding, which is the fruit of contemplation, And
gathereth fruit unto life eternal. The man who thinks out
the first principles of any science, is as it were the sower in
that science; others taking them up, pursuing them to their
results, and engrafting fresh matter upon them, strike out
new discoveries, from which posterity reaps a plentiful har-
vest. And how much more may we perceive this in the art
of arts? The seed there is the whole dispensation of the
mystery, now revealed, but formerly hidden in darkness;
for while men were unfit for the advent of the Word, the
fields were not yet white to their eyes, i. e. the legal and
prophetical Scriptures were shut up. Moses and the Pro-
phets, who preceded the coming of Christ, wrere the sowers of
this seed; the Apostles w^ho came after Christ and saw His
glory were the reapers. They reaped and gathered into
barns the deep meaning which lay hid under the prophetic
writings; and did in short what those do who succeed to a
scientific svstem which others have discovered, and who with
less trouble attain to clearer results than they who originally
sowed the seed. But they that sowed and they that reaped
shall rejoice together in another world, in which all sorrow
and mourning shall be done away. Nay, and have they not
rejoiced already? Did not Moses and Elias, the sowers,
rejoice with the reapers Peter, James, and John, when they
saw the glory of the Son of God at the Transfiguration?
Perhaps in, one soweth and another reapeth, one and another
may refer simply to those who live under the Law, and those
who live under the Gospel. For these may both rejoice
160 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
together, inasmuch as the same end is laid up for them by one
God, through one Christ, in one Holy Spirit.
39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed
on him for the saying of the woman, which testified,
He told me all that ever I did.
40. So when the Samaritans were come unto him,
they besought him that he would tarry with them : and
he abode there two days.
41. And many more believed because of his own
word ;
42. And said unto the woman, Now we believe,
not because of thy saying : for we have heard him
ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the
Saviour of the world.
Orig. Origen. After this conversation with the disciples, Scripture
in'j'oan 'returns to those who had believed on the testimony of the
c. 50. woman, and were come to see Jesus. Chrys. It is now, as
HoirK ^ were? harvest time, when the corn is gathered, and a whole
xxxiv.2. floor soon covered with sheaves ; And many of the Samaritans
of that city believed on Him, for the saying of the woman
which testified, He told me all that ever I did. They con-
sidered that the woman would never of her own accord have
conceived such admiration for one Who had reproved her
offences, unless He were really some great and wonderful
Hom. person. And thus relying solely on the testimony of the
xxxv,1# woman, without any other evidence, they went out to beseech
Christ to stay with them : So when the Samaritans were
come to Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with
them. The Jews when they saw His miracles, so far from
begging Him to stay, tried in every way to get rid of His
presence. Such is the power of malice, and envy, and vain-
glory, that obstinate vice which poisons even goodness itself.
Though the Samaritans however wished to keep Him with
them, He would not consent, but only tarried there two days.
Orig. Origen. It is natural to ask, why our Saviour stays with the
tom.xiu. Samaritans, when He had given a command to His disciples
VER. 89 — 42. ST. JOHN. 161
not to enter into any city of the Samaritans. But we must
explain this mystically. To go the way of the Gentiles, is
to be imbued with Gentile doctrine ; to go into a city of the
Samaritans, is to admit the doctrines of those who believe
the Scriptures, but interpret them heretically. But when
men have given up their own doctrines, and come to Jesus,
it is lawful to stay with them. Chrys. The Jews disbelieved chrys.
in spite of miracles, while these exhibited great faith, be- Horn* .
. ° XXXV. l.
fore even a miracle was wrought, and when they had only
heard our Lord's words. And many more believed because of
His own word. Why then do not the Evangelists give these
words ? To shew that they omit many important things, and
because the result shews what they were ; the result being
that the whole city was convinced. On the other hand,
when the hearers are not convinced, the Evangelists are
obliged to give our Lord's words, that the failure may be
seen to be owing to the indifference of the hearers, not to
any defect in the preacher. And now, having become
Christ's disciples, they dismiss their first instructor; And
they said unto the woman, Now we believe not because of
thy saying : for we have heard Him ourselves, and know
that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
How soon they understand that He was come for the
deliverance of the whole world, and could not therefore
confine His purposes to the Jews, but must sow the Word
every where. Their saying too, The Saviour of the world,
implies that they looked on this world as miserable and
lost; and that, whereas Prophets and Angels had come
to save it, this was the only real Saviour, the Author not
only of temporal but eternal salvation. And, observe,
whereas the woman had spoken doubtfully, Is not this the
Christ ? they do not say, we suspect, but we know, know,
that this is indeed the Saviour of the world, not one Christ
out of many. Though they had only heard His words, they
said as much as they could have done, had they seen ever
so many and great miracles. Origen. With the aid of ourorig.
former observations on Jacob's well, and the water, it will t0I?-xvn*
not be difficult to see, why, when they find the true word,
they leave other doctrines, i. e. the city, for a sound faith, c. 61.
Observe, they did not ask our Saviour only to enter Samaria,
M
16'2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
St. John particularly remarks, or enter that city, but to tarry
there. Jesus tarries with those who ask Him, and especially
Orig. with those who go out of the city to Him. Origen. They
c.53*U1*were not ready yet for the third day; having no anxiety to
see a miracle, as those had who supped with Jesus in Cana
of Galilee. (This supper was after He had been in Cana three
days.) The woman's report was the ground of their belief.
The enlightening power of the Word itself was not yet visible
^u£* to them. Aug. So then they knew Christ first by report of
<\ 33. another, afterwards by His own presence ; which is still the
case of those that are without the fold, and not yet Christians.
Christ is announced to them by some charitable Christians,
by the report of the woman, i. e. the Church ; they come to
Christ, they believe on Him, through the instrumentality of
that woman; He stays with them two days, i. e. gives them
two precepts of charity. And thenceforth their belief is
stronger. They believe that He is indeed the Saviour of
Orig. the world. Origen. For it is impossible that the same
c°™^m« impression should be produced by hearing from one who
has seen, and seeing one's self; walking by sight is different
from walking by faith. The Samaritans now do not be-
lieve only from testimony, but from really seeing the truth.
43. Now after two days he departed thence, and
went into Galilee.
44. For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath
no honour in his own country.
45. Then when he was come into Galilee, the
Galilseans received him, having seen all the things
that he did at Jerusalem at the feast : for they also
went unto the feast.
Aug. Aug. After staying two days in Samaria, He departed into
' Galilee, where He resided : Now after two days He departed
thence, and went into Galilee. Aug. Why then does the
Evangelist say immediately, For Jesus Himself testified,
that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. For
He would seem to have testified more to the truth, had He
remained in Samaria, and not gone into Galilee. Not so:
VER. 43 — 45. ST. JOHN. 1(33
He stayed two days in Samaria, and the Samaritans believed
on Him : He stayed the same time in Galilee, and the Gali-
leans did not believe on Him, and therefore He said, that a
prophet hath no honour in his own country. Chrys. OrChrys.
consider this the reason that He went, not to Capernaum, xxxv'# im
but to Galilee and Cana, as appears below, His country being,
I think, Capernaum. As He did not obtain honour there,
hear what He says ; And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted M&t.u,
unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. He calls it His '
own country, because He had most resided here. Theophyl.
Or thus : Our Lord on leaving Samaria for Galilee, explains
why He was not always in Galilee : viz. because of the little
honour He received there. A prophet hath no honour in
his own country. Origen. The country of the prophets was Orig.
Judaea, and every one knows how little honour they received c< 5'4#.
from the Jews, as we read, Whom of the 'prophets have not^1^-23-
your fathers persecuted? One cannot but wonder at the truth
of this saying, exemplified not only in the contempt cast
upon the holy prophets and our Lord Himself, but also in
the case of other teachers of wisdom who have been despised
by their fellow-citizens and put to death0. Chrys. But dochrys.
we not see many held in admiration by their own people ? Hom-
We do ; but we cannot argue from a few instances. If some
are honoured in their own country, many more are honoured
out of it, and familiarity generally subjects men to contempt.
The Galileans however received our Lord : Then when He
was come into Galilee, the Galileans received Him, Observe
how those who are spoken ill of, are always the first to come
to Christ. Of the Galileans we find it said below, Search and
look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. And He is
reproached with being a Samaritan, Thou art a Samaritan,
and hast a devil. And yet the Samaritans and Galileans
believe, to the condemnation of the Jews. The Galileans
however are superior to the Samaritans ; for the latter
believed from hearing the woman's words, the former from
seeing the signs which He did : Having seen all the things
that He did at Jerusalem at the feast. Origen. Our Lord orig.
by ejecting those who sold sheep and oxen from the temple, tom.xvii«
had impressed the Galileans with a strong idea of His
c In allusion to the persecution of some Greek philosophers.
M 2
164 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
Majesty, and they received Him. His power was shewn
no less in this act, than in making the blind to see, and the
deaf to hear. But probably He had performed some other
miracles as well. Bede. They had seen Him at Jerusalem,
For they also went unto the feast. Our Lord's return has a
mystical meaning, viz. that, when the Gentiles have been
confirmed in the faith by the two precepts of love, i. e. at the
end of the world, He will return to His country, i. e. Judaea.
Orig. Origen. The Galilseans were allowed to keep the feast at
cTSo*1" 'Jerusalem, where they had seen Jesus. Thus they were
prepared to receive Him, when He came: otherwise they
would either have rejected Him ; or He, knowing their
unprepared state, would not have gone near them.
46. So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee,
where he made the water wine. And there was a
certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47. When he heard that Jesus was come out of
Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought
him that he would come down, and heal his son : for
he was at the point of death.
48. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs
and wonders, ye will not believe.
49. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down
ere my child die.
50. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son
liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus
had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
51. And as he was now going down, his servants
met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
52. Then enquired he of them the hour when he
began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday
at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53. So the father knew that it was at the same
hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son
liveth : and himself believed, and his whole house.
VER. 46 — 54. ST. JOHN. 165
54. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did,
when he was come out of Judsea into Galilee.
Chrys. On a former occasion our Lord attended aChrys.
marriage in Cana of Galilee, now He goes there to convert xx°™-'f2.
the people, and confirm by His presence the faith which
His miracle had produced. He goes there in preference
to His own country. Aug. There, we are told, His disciples Aug.
believed on Him. Though the house was crowded with Tr- xvl-
° C. o.
guests, the only persons who believed in consequence of this
great miracle, were His disciples. He therefore visits the city
again, in order to try a second time to convert them. Theo-
phyl. The Evangelist reminds us of the miracle in order to
express the praise due to the Samaritans d. For the Galileans
in receiving Him were influenced as well by the miracle
He had wrought with them, as by those they had seen at
Jerusalem. The nobleman certainly believed in consequence
of the miracle performed at Cana, though he did not yet
understand Christ's full greatness ; And there was a certain
nobleman whose son teas sick at Capernaum. Origen. Orig.
Some think that this was an officer of King Herod's ;tom,,JYlu
° 7 c. o/ .
others, that he was one of Caesar's household, then employed
on some commission in Judaea. It is not said that He was
a Jew. Aug. He is called a nobleman, either as being of the^"Xi"
royal family, or as having some office of government. Chrys. Chrys.
Some think that he is the same centurion, who is mentioned °m'0
in Matthew. But that he is a different person is clear from Matt. 8,
this ; that the latter, when Christ wished to come to his
house, entreated Him not ; whereas the former brought
Christ to his house, though he had received no promise of
a cure. And the latter met Jesus on His wav from the
m
mountain to Capernaum ; whereas the former came to Jesus
in Cana. And the latter servant was laid up with the
palsy, the former's son with a fever. Of this nobleman then
we read, When lie heard that Jesus was come out of Judcea
into Galilee, he went unto Him, and besought Him that He
would heal his son : for he was at the point of death Aug. Aug.
Did not he who made this request believe? Mark what c A
our Lord says; Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see
d $ta rb av^ijrKi *2xu,xoii'ru* r» \yx.uuitv. But in the Lat. it is, ut augeret
Christi prrcconium,
Tr. xvi.
10() GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
signs and wonders, ye will not believe. This is to charge
the man either with lukewarmness, or coldness of faith, or
with want of faith altogether: as if his only object was to
put Christ's power to the test, and see who and what kind
of person Christ was, and what He could do. The word
prodigy (wonder) signifies something far off, in futurity.
Aug. Our Lord would have the mind of the believer so
raised above all mutable things, as not to seek even for
miracles. For miracles, though sent from heaven, are, in
Greg, their subject matter, mutable. Greg. Remember what He
E°{^k asked for, and you will plainly see that he doubted. He
xxviii.l. asked Him to come down and see his son: The nobleman
sailh unto him, Sir, come down, ere my child die. His
faith was deficient; in that he thought that our Lord could
Chrys. not save, except He were personally present. Chrys. And
xxxv* 2 mark his earthly mind, shewn in hurrying Christ along with
him ; as if our Lord could not raise his son after death.
Indeed it is very possible that he may have asked
in unbelief. For fathers often are so carried away by their
affection, as to consult not only those they depend upon, but
even those they do not depend upon at all : not wishing to
leave any means untried, which might save their children.
But had he had any strong reliance upon Christ, he would
§reg< . have gone to Him in Judaea. Greg. Our Lord in His answer
Evang. implies that He is in a certain sense where He is invited
xxvm. presen(3 even when He is absent from a place. He saves by
His command simply, even as by His will He created all
things : Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth.
Here is a blow to that pride which honours human wealth
and greatness, and not that nature which is made after the
image of God. Our Redeemer, to shew that things made
much of among men, were to be despised by Saints, and
things despised made much of, did not go to the nobleman's
Chrys. son? Dut; wras ready to go to the centurion's servant. Chrys.
xxxv.2. Or thus; In the centurion there was confirmed faith and true
devotion, and therefore our Lord was ready to go. But the
nobleman's faith was still imperfect, as he thought our Lord
could not heal in the absence of the sick person. But
Christ's answer enlightened him. And the man believed the
word which Jesus had spoken to him, and went his way. He
did not believe, however, wholly or completely. Origen. His
VEK. 4S — 54. ST. JOHN. 167
rank appears in the fact of his servants meeting him : And
as he was now going down, his servants met him, and
told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Chrys. They met him, Chrys.
to announce what had happened, and prevent Christ fromxxxv'3
coming, as He was no longer wanted. That the nobleman
did not fully believe, is shewn by what follows : Then enquired
he of them at what hour he began to amend. He wished
to find out whether the recovery was accidental, or owing to
our Lord's word. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the
seventh hour the fever left him. How obvious is the
miracle ? His recovery did not take place in an ordinary
way, but all at once ; in order that it might be seen to be
Christ's doing, and not the result of nature : So the father
knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said
unto him, Thy so?i liveth; and himself believed, and his
whole house. Aug. If he only believed when he was told Aug.
that his son was well again, and had compared the hourc<3
according to his servant's account, with the hour predicted
by Christ, he did not believe when he first made the
petition. Bede. So, we see, faith, like the other virtues, is
formed gradually, and has its beginning, growth, and ma-
turity. His faith had its beginning, when he asked for his
son's recovery; its growth, when he believed our Lord's
words, Thy son liveth ; its maturity, after the announcement
of the fact by his servants. Aug. The Samaritans believed Aug.
on the strength of His words only : that whole house believed c#r3>x
on the strength of the miracle which had been brought in it.
The Evangelist adds, This is again the second miracle which
Jesus did, when He teas come out of Judcea into Galilee.
Chrys. The second miracle, he says markedly. The Jews Chrys.
had not come to the more perfect faith of the Samaritans, xxxvi.l.
who saw no miracle. Origen. The sentence is ambiguous. Orig.
Taken one way, it means that Jesus after coming to Galilee, c< 60>
performed two miracles, of which that of healing the noble-
man's son was the second : taken another, it means, that of
the two miracles which Jesus performed in Galilee, the
second was done after coming from Judaea into Galilee. The
latter is the true and received meaning. Mystically, the two 0. 06.
journeys of Christ into Galilee signify His two advents; at
the first of which He makes us His guest at supper, and
168 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
gives us wine to drink ; at the second, He raises up the
nobleman's son who was at the point of death, i. e. the
Jewish people, who, after the fulness of the Gentiles, attain
themselves to salvation. For, as the great King of
Kings is He, whom God hath seated upon His holy hill of
Sion, so the lesser king is he, who saw his day, and was
glad, i. e. Abraham6. And therefore his sick son is the
Jewish people fallen from the true religion, and thrown into
a fever in consequence by the fiery darts of the enemy. And
we know that the saints of old, even when they had put off
the covering of the flesh, made the people the object of
their care : for we read in Maccabees, after the death of
2 Mace. Jeremiah, This is Jeremias the prophet of the Lord, who
prayeth much for the people. Abraham therefore prays to
our Saviour to succour his diseased people. Again, the word
of power, Tliy son liveth, comes forth from Cana, i. e. the work
of the Word, the healing of the nobleman's son, is done in
Capernaum, i. e. the land of consolation. The nobleman's
son signifies the class of believers who though diseased are yet
not altogether destitute of fruits. The words, Except ye
see signs and wonders, ye will not believe, are spoken of the
Jewish people in general, or perhaps of the nobleman, i. e-
Abraham himself, in a certain sense. For as John waited
for a sign; on Whom thou shall see the Spirit descending ;
so too the Saints who died before the coming of Christ in the
flesh, expected Him to manifest Himself by signs and won-
ders. And this nobleman too had servants as well as a son ;
which servants stand for the lower and weaker class of
believers. Nor is it chance that the fever leaves the son at
the seventh hour; for seven is the number of rest. Alcuin.
Or it was the seventh hour, because all remission of sins is
through the sevenfold Spirit; for the number seven divided
into three and four, signifies the Holy Trinity, in the four
OHg. seasons of the world, in the four elements. Origen. There
c*>56 ' may be an allusion in the two journeys to the two advents
of Christ in the soul, the first supplying a spiritual banquet of
wine, the second taking away all remains of weakness and
death. Theophyl. The little king stands for man generally;
man not only deriving his soul from the King of the
e The same word as nobleman: a more literal translation.
VER. 46 — 54. ST. JOHN. 169
universe, but having Himself dominion over all things. His
son, i. e. his mind, labours under a fever of evil passion
and desires. He goes to Jesus and entreats Him to come
down ; i. e. to exercise the condescension of His pity, and
pardon his sins, before it is too late. Our Lord answers ;
Go thy way, i. e. advance in holiness, and then thy son will
live; but if thou stop short in thy course, thou wilt destroy
the power of understanding and doing right.
CHAP. V.
1. After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus
went up to Jerusalem.
2. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market
a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda,
having five porches.
3. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk,
of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the
water.
4. For an angel went down at a certain season into
the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then
first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was
made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5. And a certain man was there, which had an
infirmity thirty and eight years.
6. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had
been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him,
Wilt thou be made whole?
7. The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no
man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the
pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down
before me.
8. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and
walk.
9. And immediatelv the man was made whole,
and took up his bed, and walked : and on the same day
was the sabbath.
10. The Jews therefore said unto him that was
cured, It is the sabbath day : it is not lawful for thee
to carry thy bed.
VER. 1 — 13. ST. JOHN. 171
11. He answered them, He that made me whole,
the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12. Then asked they him, What man is that which
said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk ?
13. And he that was healed wist not who it was:
for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being
in that place.
Aug. After the miracle in Galilee, He returns to Jerusalem : Aug.
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up £va°£#'
to Jerusalem. Ckrys. The feast of Pentecost. Jesus always l.iv.c.io.
Chrys.
went up to Jerusalem at the time of the feasts, that it might Horn.'
be seen that He was not an enemy to, but an observer of, the xxxvi-1'
Law. And it gave Him the opportunity of impressing the
simple multitude by miracles and teaching : as great numbers
used then to collect from the neighbouring towns.
Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep-market a pool,
which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five
porches. Alcuin. The pool by the sheep-market, is the
place where the priest washed the animals that were going
to be sacrificed. Chrys. This pool was one among many Chrys.
types of that baptism, which was to purge away sin. First m*.
God enjoined water for the cleansing from the filth of the
body, and from those defilements, which were not real, but
legal, e. g. those from death, or leprosy, and the like. After-
wards infirmities were healed by water, as we read: In these
(the porches) lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind,
halt, witliered, waiting for the moving of the water. This
was a nearer approximation to the gift of baptism, when not
only defilements are cleansed, but sicknesses healed. Types
are of various ranks, just as in a court, some officers are
nearer to the prince, others farther off. The water, however
did not heal by virtue of its own natural properties, (for if so
the effect would have followed uniformly,) but by the descent
of an Angel: For an Angel went down at a certain season
into the pool, and troubled the water. In the same way, in
Baptism, water does not act simply as water, but receives
first the grace of the Holy Spirit, by means of which it
cleanses us from all our sins. And the Angel troubled the
172 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
water, and imparted a healing virtue to it, in order to pre-
figure to the Jews that far greater power of the Lord of the
Angels, of healing the diseases of the soul. But then their
infirmities prevented their applying the cure; for it follows,
Whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped
in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. But now
every one may attain this blessing, for it is not an Angel
which troubleth the water, but the Lord of Angels, which
worketh every where. Though the whole world come, grace
fails not, but remains as full as ever; like the sun's rays
which give light all day, and every day, and yet are not
spent. The sun's light is not diminished by this bountiful
expenditure: no more is the influence of the Holy Spirit by
the largeness of its outpourings. Not more than one could be
cured at the pool; God's design being to put before men's
minds, and oblige them to dwell upon, the healing power of
water; that from the effect of water on the body, they might
Aug- believe more readily its power on the soul. Aug. It was a
Tr. xvii.
c. l. greater act in Christ, to heal the diseases of the soul, than
the sicknesses of the perishable body. But as the soul itself
did not know its Restorer, as it had eyes in the flesh to
discern visible things, but not in the heart wherewith to
know God ; our Lord performed cures which could be seen,
that He might afterwards work cures which could not be
seen. He went to the place, where lay a multitude of sick,
out of whom He chose one to heal : And a certain man was
Chrys. there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. Chrys.
xxxn'i. He did not, however, proceed immediately to heal him, but
l> 2# first tried by conversation to bring him into a believing
state of mind. Not that He required faith in the first
Matt. 9, instance, as He did from the blind man, saying, Believe ye
that I am able to do this f for the lame man could not well
know who He was. Persons who in different ways had had
the means of knowing Him, were asked this question, and
properly so. But there were some who did not and could
not know Him yet, but would be made to know Him by His
miracles afterwards. And in their case the demand for failh
is reserved till after those miracles have taken place : When
Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been a long time
in that case, He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole ?
VER. 1 13. ST. JOHN. 173
He does not ask this question for His own information, (this
were unnecessary,) but to bring to light the great patience
of the man, who for thirty and eight years had sat year after
year by the place, in the hope of being cured; which
sufficiently explains why Christ passed by the others, and
went to him. And He does not say, Dost thou wish Me to
heal thee ? for the man had not as yet any idea that He was
so great a Person. Nor on the other hand did the lame
man suspect any mockery in the question, to make him take
offence, and say, Hast thou come to vex me, by asking me if
I would be made whole; but he answered mildly, Sir, I have
no mail) when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool;
but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
He had no idea as yet that the Person who put this question
to him would heal him, but thought that Christ might
probably be of use in putting him into the water. But Christ's
word is sufficient, Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed,
and walk. Aug. Three distinct biddings. Rise, however, is Aug.
rp » •
not a command, but the conferring of the cure. Two cora-crJOT'
mands were given upon his cure, take up thy bed, and walk.
Chrys. Behold the richness of the Divine Wisdom. He not Chrys.
only heals, but bids him carry his bed also. This was to xx°^.
shew the cure was really miraculous, and not a mere effect *> 2-
of the imagination; for the man's limbs must have become
quite sound and compact, to allow him to take up his bed.
The impotent man again did not deride and say, The Angel
cometh down, and troubleth the water, and he only cureth
one each time; dost Thou, who art a mere man, think that
Thou canst do more than an Angel? On the contrary, he
heard, believed Him who bade him, and was made whole : And
immediately the man teas made whole, and took up his bed,
and walked. Bede; There is a wide difference between
our Lord's mode of healing, and a physician's. He acts by
His word, and acts immediately: the other's requires a long
time for its completion. Chrys. This was wonderful, but Chrys.
what follows more so. As yet he had no opposition to face. Hom#..
-\ -\ .A. V 11 ■
It is made more wonderful when we see him obeying Christ 2.
afterwards in spite of the rage and railing of the Jews : And
on the same day was the sabbath. The Jews therefore said.
unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day, itifjyxt
4
174 GOSrEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
Aug. lawful for thee to carry thy bed. Aug. They did not charge
e. io. our Lord with healing on the sabbath, for He would have
replied that if an ox or an ass of theirs had fallen into a pit,
would not they have taken it out on the sabbath day: but
they addressed the man as he was carrying his bed, as if
to say, Even if the healing could not be delayed, why enjoin
the work? He shields himself under the authority of his
Healer: He that made vie whole, the Saute said unio me,
Take up thy bed, and walk: meaning, Why should not 1
Chrys. receive a command, if I received a cure from Him? Chrys.
xxxvii. Had he been inclined to deal treacherously, he might have
2* said, If it is a crime, accuse Him Who commanded it, and
I will lay down my bed. And he would have concealed his
cure, knowing, as he did, that their real cause of offence was
not the breaking of the Sabbath, but the miracle. But he
neither concealed it, nor asked for pardon, but boldly con-
fessed the cure. They then ask spitefully; What man is
that who said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and ivalk. They
do not say, Who is it, who made thee whole? but only
mention the offence. It follows, And he that was healed
wist not who it was, for Jesus had conveyed Himself away,
a multitude being in that place. This He had done first,
because the man who had been made whole, was the best
witness of the cure, and could give his testimony with less
suspicion in our Lord's absence; and secondly, that the
fury of men might not be excited more than was necessary.
For the mere sight of the object of envy, is no small incentive
to envy. For these reasons He departed, and left them to
examine the fact for themselves. Some are of opinion, that
this is the same with the one who had the palsy, whom
Matthew mentions. But he is not. For the latter had many
to wait upon, and carry him, whereas this man had none.
And the place where the miracle was performed, is different.
Aug. Aug. Judging on low and human notions of this miracle,
crjxvll'it is not at all a striking display of power, and only a
moderate one of goodness. Of so many, who lay sick, only one
was healed; though, had He chosen, He could have restored
them all by a single word. How must we account for this?
By supposing that His power and goodness were asserted
more for imparting a knowledge of eternal salvation to the
VER. 1 13. ST. JOHN. 175
soul, than working a temporal cure on the body. That
which received the temporal cure was certain to decay at
last, when death arrived : whereas the soul which believed
passed into life eternal. The pool and the water seem to
me to signify the Jewish people: for John in the Apocalypse Rev. 17,
obviously uses water to express people. Bede. It is fitly Bede. in
described as a sheep pool. By sheep are meant people, Y- caP-
according to the passage, We are Thy people, and the Ps 95,7.
sheep of Thy pasture. Aug. The water then, i. e. the people, Aug.
was enclosed within five porches, i. e. the five books of^f^11"
Moses. But those books only betrayed the impotent, and
did not recover them ; that is to say, the Law convicted the
sinner, but did not absolve him. Bede. Lastly, many kinds
of impotent folk lay near the pool : the blind, i. e. those who
are without the light of knowledge; the lame, i. e. those who have
not strength to do what they are commanded ; the withered,
i. e. those who have not the marrow of heavenly love. Aug. Aug.
So then Christ came to the Jewish people, and by means of Tr*xvn*
mighty works, and profitable lessons, troubled the sinners,
i. e. the water, and the stirring continued till He brought
on His own passion. But He troubled the water, unknown
to the world. For had they known Him, they would not l Cor.
hate crucified the Lord of glory. But the troubling of the
water came on all at once, and it was not seen who troubled
it. Again, to go down into the troubled water, is to believe
humbly on our Lord's passion. Only one was healed, to
signify the unity of the Church : whoever came afterwards
was not healed, to signify that whoever is out of this unity
cannot be healed. Wo to them who hate unity, and raise
sects. Again, he who was healed had had his infirmity
thirty and eight years : this being a number which belongs
to sickness, rather than to health. The number forty has a
sacred character with us, and is significative of perfection.
For the Law was given in Ten Commandments, and was to
be preached throughout the whole world, which consists of
four parts; and four multiplied into ten, make up the num-
ber forty. And the Law too is fulfilled by the Gospel,
which is written in four books. So then if the number
forty possesses the perfectness of the Law, and nothing
fulfils the Law, except the twofold precept of love, why
176 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
wonder at the impotence of him, who was two less than
forty? Some man was necessary for his recovery; but it
was a man who was God. He found the man falling short
by the number two, and therefore gave two commandments,
to fill up the deficiency. For the two precepts of our Lord
signify love; the love of God being first in order of com-
mand, the love of our neighbour, in order of performance.
Take up thy bed, our Lord saith, meaning, When thou
wert impotent, thy neighbour carried thee ; now thou art
made whole, carry thy neighbour. And walk ; but whither,
Bede. except to the Lord thy God. Bede. What mean the words,
2*'™™' Arise, and walk; except that thou shouldest raise thyself
from thy torpor and indolence, and study to advance in
good works. Take up thy bed, i. e. thy neighbour by
Aug. which thou art carried, and bear him patiently thyself. Aug.
Tr'xvn- Carry him then with whom thou walkest, that thou mayest
c. 9. J . .
come to Him with "W horn thou desirest to abide. As yet
however he wist not who Jesus was; just as we too believe
in Him though we see Him not. Jesus again does not wish
to be seen, but conveys Himself out of the crowd. Tt is in a
kind of solitude of the mind, that God is seen : the crowd is
' noisy ; this vision requires stillness.
14. Afterward Jesus fmdeth him in the temple, and
said unto bim, Behold, thou art made whole : sin no
more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
15. The man departed, and told the Jews that it
was Jesus, which had made him whole.
16. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus,
and sought to slay him, because he had done these
things on the sabbath day.
17. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work.
18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill
him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but
said also that God was his Father, making- himself
equal with God.
XXXV111.
VER. 14 18. ST. JOHN. 177
Chrys. The man, when healed, did not proceed to the Chrys.
market place, or give himself up to pleasure or vain glory, Hom;..
but, which was a great mark of religion, went to the temple :
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple. Aug. The Lord Aug.
Jesus saw him both in the crowd, and in the temple. Thec. Ji,
impotent man does not recognise Jesus in the crowd; but
in the temple, being a sacred place, he does. Alcuin0. For in loc.
if we would know our Maker's grace, and attain to the sight
of Him, we must avoid the crowd of evil thoughts and affec-
tions, convey ourselves out of the congregation of the wicked,
and flee to the temple ; in order that we may make ourselves
the temple of God, souls whom God will visit, and in whom
He will deign to dwell.
And (He) said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole ;
sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee. Chrys. Chrys.
Here we learn in the first place, that his disease was the con-
sequence of his sins. We are apt to bear with great indif- *
ference the diseases of our souls ; but, should the body
suffer ever so little hurt, we have recourse to the most
energetic remedies. Wherefore God punishes the body for
the offences of the soul. Secondly, we learn, that there is
really a Hell. Thirdly, that it is a place of lasting and infinite
punishment. Some say indeed, Because we have corrupted
ourselves for a short time, shall we be tormented eternally ?
But see how long this man was tormented for his sins.
Sin is not to be measured by length of time, but by the
nature of the sin itself. And besides this we learn, that if,
after undergoing a heavy punishment for our sins, we fall
into them again, we shall incur another and a heavier punish-
ment still: and justly ; for one, who has undergone punish-
ment, and has not been made better by it, proves himself
to be a hardened person, and a despiser; and, as such,
deserving of still greater torments. Nor let it embolden us,
that we do not see all punished for their offences here : for
if men do not suffer for their offences here, it is only a sign
that their punishment will be the greater hereafter. Our
diseases however do not always arise from sins ; but only
most commonly so. For some spring from other lax habits:
some are sent for the sake of trial, as Job's were. But why
c Alcuin's commentary on St. John's Gospel is the work always referred to.
N
178 GOSrEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
does Christ make mention of this palsied man's sins ? Some
say, because he had been an accuser of Christ. And shall
we say the same of the man afflicted with the palsy?
Matt. 9, jror ne too was told, Thy sins are forgiven thee? The truth
is, Christ does not find fault with the man here for his past sins,
but only warns him against future. In healing others,
however, He makes no mention of sins at all : so that it
would seem to be the case that the diseases of these
men had arisen from their sins ; whereas those of the
others had come from natural causes only. Or perhaps
through these, He admonishes all the rest. Or he may have
admonished this man, knowing his great patience of mind, and
that he would bear an admonition. Tt is a disclosure too of
His divinity, for He implies in saying, Sin no more, that He
Aug. knew what sins He had committed. Aug. Now that the
c# J2. 'man had seen Jesus, and knew Him to be the author of his
recovery, he was not slow in preaching Him to others: The
man departed, and fold the Jews that it was Jesus which
Chiys. had made him whole. Chrys. He was not so insensible to
xxxviii. the benefit, and the advice he had received, as to have any
2- .malignant aim in speaking this news. Had it been done to
disparage Christ, he could have concealed the cure, and put
forward the offence. But he does not mention Jesus's
saying, Take up thy bed, which was an offence in the eyes
of the Jews; but told the Jews that it was Jesus which had
™ug-... made him whole. Aug. This announcement enraged them,
lr.xviu. '-it
c 13. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, because He had
done these things on the sabbath day. A plain bodily work
had been done before their eyes, distinct from the healing of
the man's body, and which could not have been necessary,
even if healing was; viz. the carrying of the bed.
Wherefore our Lord openly says, that the sacrament of the
Sabbath, the sign of observing one day but of seven, was
only a temporary institution, which had attained its fulfil-
ment in Him : But Jesus answei ed them, My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work: as if He said, Do not suppose that
My Father rested on the Sabbath in such a sense, as that
from that time forth, He has ceased from working; for He
worketh up to this time, though without labour, and so
work T. God's resting means only that He made no other
VER. 14 — 18. ST. JOHN. 179
creature, after the creation. The Scripture calls it rest, to
remind us of the rest we shall enjoy after a life of good
works here. And as God only when He had made man in
His own image and similitude, and finished all His works,
and seen that they were very good, rested on the seventh
day: so do thou expect no rest, except thou return to the
likeness in which thou wevt made, but which thou hast lost by
sin; i. e. unless thou doest good works. Aug. It maybe said Aug.
then, that the observance of the sabbath was imposed on the Gen.^
Jews, as the shadow of something to come; viz. that spiritual litteram
rest, which God, by the figure of His own rest promised
to all who should perform good works. Aug. There will be
a sabbath of the world, when the six ages, i. e. the six days,
as it were, of the world, have passed: then will come that
rest which is promised to the saints. Aug. The mystery of Aug.
which rest the Lord Jesus Himself sealed by His burial: for^i'iit.
He rested in His sepulchre on the sabbath, having onc-xi-
the sixth day finished all His work, inasmuch as He said,
It is finished. What wonder then that God, to prefigure the c. 19.
day on which Christ was to rest in the grave, rested one
day from His works, afterwards to carry on the work of
governing the world. We may consider too that God, when
He rested, rested from the work of creation simply, i. e.
made no more new kinds of creatures: but that from that time
till notv, He has been carrying on the government of those
creatures. For His power, as respects the government of
heaven and earth, and all the things that He had made, did
not cease on the seventh day: they would have perished
immediately, without His government: because the power of
the Creator is that on which the existence of every creature
depends. If it ceased to govern, every species of creation
would cease to exist: and all nature would go to nothing.
For the world is not like a building, which stands after the
architect has left it; it could not stand the twinkling of an
eye, if God withdrew His governing hand. Therefore when
our Lord says, My Father worketh hitherto, he means the
continuation of the work ; the holding together, and governing
of the creation. It might have been different, had He said,
Worketh even now. This would not have conveyed the sense
of continuing. As it is we find it, Until now ; i. e. from tin
n 2
180 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
Aug. time of the creation downwards. Aug. He says then, as it
b. is. were, to the Jews, Why think ye that I should not work on
the sabbath? The sabbath day was instituted as a type d of
Me. Ye observe the works of God: by Me all things were
made. The Father made light, but He spoke, that it might
be made. If He spoke, then He made it by the Word; and
I am His Word. My Father worked when He made the
world, and He worketh until now, governing the world: and
as He made the world by Me, when He made it, so He
Chrys. governs it by Me, now He governs it. Chrys. Christ
Horn, defended His disciples, by putting forward the example of
2. their fellow-servant David: but He defends Himself by a
reference to the Father. We may observe too that He does
not defend Himself as man, nor yet purely as God, but
sometimes as one, sometimes as the other; wishing both to
be believed, both the dispensation of His humiliation, and the
dignity of His Godhead; wherefore He shews His equality
to the Father, both by calling Him His Father emphatically,
(My Father,) and by declaring that He doeth the same
things, that the Father doth, (And I work.) Therefore, it
follows, the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because he
' not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God teas
Aug. His Father. Aug. i. e. not in the secondary sense in which
s< je. ' it is true of all of us, but as implying equality. For we all of
Matt. 6. us sav to God, Our Father, Which art in heaven. And the
Isaiah Jews say, Thou art our Father* They were not angry then
63, 16. becauSe He called God His Father, but because He called
Ana:. Him so in a sense different from men. Aug. The words,
Eev> ^ My Father worketh hitherto, and I work, suppose Him to
C;- x- be equal to the Father. This being understood, it followed
from the Father's working, that the Son worked: inasmuch
Chrys. as the Father doth nothing without the Son. Chrys. Were
°^"" He not the Son by nature, and of the same substance, this
s. 3. defence would be worse than the former accusation made.
For no prefect could clear Himself from a transgression of
the king's law, by urging that the king broke it also. But,
on the supposition of the Son's equality to the Father, the
defence is valid. It then follows, that as the Father worked
d Since our everlasting rest, which the sabbath foreshadowed, is in Him.
see Conf. fin. de Civ. D. xi. 8. &c.
VER. 19, 20. ST. JOHN. 181
j
on the Sabbath without doing wrong: the Son could do so
likewise. Aug. So, the Jews understood what the AriansAug.
do not. For the Arians say that the Son is not equal to thes> jg.
Father, and hence sprang up that heresy which afflicts the
Church. Chrys. Those however who are not well-disposed Chrys.
TT
to this doctrine, do not admit that Christ made Himself xxxv;*j;#
equal to the Father, but only that the Jews thought lie did.3-
But let us consider what has gone before. That the Jews
persecuted Christ, and that He broke the sabbath, and said
that God was His Father, is unquestionably true. That
which immediately follows then from these premises, viz. His
making Himself equal with God, is true also. Hilary. ±I.ll^r'
The Evangelist here explains why the Jews wished to killTrin. c.
Him. Chrys. And again, had it been that our Lord Himself
did not mean this, but that the Jews misunderstood Him,
He would not have overlooked their mistake, Nor would
the Evangelist have omitted to remark upon it, as he does0,11-
upon our Lord's speech, Destroy this temple. Aug. TheAug-
Tr xvii.
Jews however did not understand from our Lord that Hes. 16.
was the Son of God, but only that He was equal with God •
though Christ gave this as the result of His being the Son of
God. It is from not seeing this, while they saw at the same
time that equality was asserted, that they charged Him with
making Himself equal with God: the truth being, that He
did not make Himself equal, but the Father had begotten
Him equal.
19. Then answered Jesus and said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing
of himself, but what he seeth the Father do : for what
things soever he doeth, these also cloeth the Son like-
wise.
20. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth
him all things that himself doeth : and he will shew
him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Hilary. He refers to the charge of violating the sabbath, Hilar.
brought against Him. My Father worketh hitherto, and /Kin."©.
work; meaning that He had a precedent for claiming the 17-
182 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
right He did ; and that what Pie did was in reality His
Father's doing, who acted in the Son. And to quiet the
jealousy which had been raised, because by the use of His
Father's name He had made Himself equal with God, and
to assert the excellency of His birth and nature, He says,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of
Aug. Himself, but what He seeth the Father do. Aug. Some who
3r'*vm' would be thought Christians, the Arian heretics, who say that
the very Son of God who took our flesh upon Him, was in-
ferior to the Father, take advantage of these words to throw
discredit upon our doctrine, and say, You see that when our
Lord perceived the Jews to be indignant, because He seemed
to make Himself equal with God, He gave such an answer
as shewed that He was not equal. For they say, he who
can do nothing but what he sees the Father do is not equal
but inferior to the Father. But if there is a greater God,
and a less God, (the Word being God,) we worship two
Hilar. Gods, and not one e. Hilary. Lest then that assertion of
Tr.c.i7. His equantyj which must belong to Him, as by Name and
Nature the Son, might throw doubt upon His Nativity f,
Aug. He says that the Son can do nothing of Himself . Aug. As
lr. xx. if jje sajc| . why are ye offended that 1 called God My
Father, and that I make Myself equal with God ? I am
equal, but equal in such a sense as is consistent with His
having begotten Me ; with My being from Him, not Him
from Me. With the Son, being and power are one and the
same thing. The Substance of the Son then being of the
Father, the power of the Son is of the Father also: and as the
Son is not of Himself, so He can not of Himself. The Son
can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do. —
xxi. 4. His seeing and His being born of the Father are the same.
His vision is not distinct from His Substance, but the whole
e This is the answer of the Catholic of His Equality with the Father, and
to the Arian argument, and is drawn yet that He was the Son, " The Only-
oat more fully in Augustin's text, Begotten God operating by the ope-
where the Arian blasphemy, that there rations of the power of the Father, and
was a greater and a lesser God, is said so He wrought that, which He knew
to savour of Paganism. Nic. in His own intrinsic knowledge that the
f i.e. left to themselves, people Nature of God the Father, inseparable
would be vacillating between the from Himself, Which He possessed
thought our Lord was not equal to the through His true Nativity, could
Father or not the Son, and therefore wrk." S. Hil. 1. c.
nnr Lord at once conveys the doctrine
VER. 19, 20. ST. JOHN. 183
together is of the Father. Hilary. That the wholesome Hilar,
order of our confession, i. e. that we believe in the Father X |*
and the Son, might remain, He shews the nature of His birth ;
viz. that He derived the power of acting not from an acces-
sion of strength supplied for each work, but by His own
knowledge in the first instance. And this knowledge He
derived not from any particular visible precedents, as if what
the Father had done, the Son could do afterwards ; but that
the Son being born of the Father, and consequently conscious
of the Father's virtue and nature within Him, could do
nothing but what He saw the Father do : as he here testifies ;
God does not see by bodily organs, but by the virtue of His
nature. Aug. If we understand this subordination of the Son Aug.
to arise from the human nature, it will follow that the Father "*„e r*
walked first upon the water, and did all the other things
which the Son did in the flesh, in order that the Son might do
them. Who can be so insane as to think this d ? Aug. Yet Aug.
Tr. xx.
that walking of the flesh upon the sea was done by the Father s. ^
through the Son. For when the flesh walked, and the
Divinity of the Son guided, the Father was not absent, as the
Son Himself saith below, The Father that dwelleth in die, c 14.
He doeth the icorks. He guards however against the carnal s. 9.
interpretation of the words, The Son can do nothing of Him- (v. 10.)
self. As if the case were like that of two artificers, master
and disciple, one of whom made a chest, and the other made
another like it, by adding, For whatsoever things he doeth,
these doeth the Son likewise. He does not say, Whatsoever
the Father doeth, the Son does other things like them, but
the very same things. The Father made the world, the Son
made the world, the Holy Ghost made the world. If the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one, it follows that one
and the same world was made by the Father, through the
Son, in the Holy Ghost. Thus it is the very same thing
that the Son doeth. He adds likewise, to prevent another
error arising. For the bodv seems to do the same things
with the mind, but it does not do them in a like way, inas-
d The Son can do nothing of Him- eye, each several act of His done be-
selj\ but what He seeth the Father do. forehand by the Father. It follows
If this arises from His human nature, that the subordination here mentioned
then He must have seen in His human arises from the Sonship itself of the
nature, i. e. visibly, with the natural Son's, not from His human nature.
184 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
much as the body is subject, the soul governing, the body
visible, the soul invisible. When a slave does a thing at the
command of his master, the same thing is done by both ;
but is it in a like way ? Now in the Father and Son there
is not this difference ; they do the same things, and in a like
way. Father and Son act with the same power ; so that the
Hilar. Son is equal to the Father. Hilary. Or thus ; All things
Tr c is aDC^ ^ie same-> He says, to shew the virtue of His nature, its
being the same with God's. That is the same nature, which
can do all the same things. And as the Son does all the
same things in a like way, the likeness of the works excludes
the notion of the worker existing alone g. Thus we come to
a true idea of the Nativity, as our faith receives it : the like-
ness of the works bearing witness to the Nativity, their
Chrys. sameness to the Nature. Chrys. Or thus ; That the Son
Hom:.. can do nothing of Himself ) must be understood to mean, that
-V -\ .A. Villa
-i. He can do nothing contrary to, or displeasing to, the Father.
And therefore He does not say that He does nothing con-
trary, but that He can do nothing ; in order to shew His perfect
likeness, and absolute equality to the Father. Nor is this a
sign of weakness in the Son, but rather of goodness. For as
when we say that it is impossible for God to sin, we do not
charge Him with weakness, but bear witness to a certain
ineffable goodness ; so when the Son says, I can do nothing
of myself, it only means, that He can do nothing contrary to
Aug. the Father. Aug. This is not a sign of failing in Him, but
o o n f r ft
Serm. of His abiding in His birth from the Father. And it is as
Anano- high an attribute of the Almighty that He does not change,
rum,c.9. . .
(xiv.) as it is that He does not die. The Son could do what He
had not seen the Father doing, if He could do what the
Father does not do through Him; i.e. if He could sin: a
supposition inconsistent with the immutably good nature
which was begotten from the Father. That He cannot do ;
this then is to be understood of Him, not in the sense of
Chrys. deficiency, but of power. Chrys. And this is confirmed bv
TJ J ' I "
xxxviii. what follows : For whatsoever he doeth, these also doeth the
4- Son likewise. For if the Father does all things by Himself,
? •' Similitude operum solitudinein thing?. Yet the very expression" same-
operantis exclusit." Bened. and edd. ness'* implies a plurality of Persons,
i.e. as before, the Son is equal to The Nic. reads similitudinem, which does
Father, since He doeth alt the same not belong to the argument here.
VER. 19, 20. ST. JOHN. 185
so does the Son also, if this likewise is to stand good. Yon
see how high a meaning these humble words bear. He
gives His thoughts a humble dress purposely. For when-
ever He expressed Himself loftily, He was persecuted, as an
enemy of God. Aug. Having said that He did the same Aug.
things that the Father did, and in a like way, He adds, For s 2' TX1"
the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that
Himself doeth. And sheweth Him all things that Himself
doeth: this has a reference to the words above ; But what
He seeth the Father do. But again, our human ideas are
perplexed, and one may say, So then the Father first does
something, that the Son may see what He does ; just as an
artificer teaches his son his art, and shews him what he
makes, that he may be able to make the same after him.
On this supposition, when the Father does a thing, the
Son does not do it ; in that the Son is beholding what His
Father doeth. But we hold it as a fixed and incontrovertible
truth, that the Father makes all things through the Son, and
therefore He must shew them to the Son, before He makes
them. And where does the Father shew the Son what He
makes, except in the Son Himself, by whom He makes
them ? For if the Father makes a thing for a pattern, and
the Son attends to the workmanship as it goes on, where is
the indivisibility of the Trinity ? The Father therefore does
not shew the Son what He doeth by doing it, but by shewing
doeth it, through the Son. The Son seeth, and the Father
sheweth, before a thing is made, and from the shewing of the
Father, and the seeing of the Son, that is made which is
made; made by the Father, through the Son. But thou wilt
say, I shew my Son what I wish him to make, and he makes
it, and I make it through him. True ; but before thou doest
any thing, thou shewest it to thy son, that he may do it for
thy example, and thou by him ; but thou speakest to thy
son words which are not thyself; whereas the Son Himself is
the Word of the Father; and could lie speak by the Word to
the Word? Or, because the Son was the great Word, were
lesser words to pass between the Father and the Son, or a
certain sound and temporary creation, as it were, to go out of
the mouth of the Father, and strike the ear of the Son? Put
away these bodily notions, and if thou art simple, see the
186 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
truth in simplicity. If thou canst not comprehend what
God is, comprehend at least what He is not. Thou wilt
have advanced no little way, if thou thinkest nothing that is
untrue of God. See what I am saying exemplified in thine
own mind. Thou hast memory, and thought, thy memory
sheweth to thy thought Carthage: before thou perceivest
what is in her, she sheweth it to thought, which is turned
toward her: the memory then hath shewn, the thought hath
perceived, and no words have passed between them, no
outward sign been used. But whatever is in thy memory,
thou receivest from without: that which the Father sheweth
to the Son, He doth not receive from without; the whole
goes on within ; there being no creature existing without,
but what the Father hath made by the Son. And the Father
maketh by shewing, in that He maketh by the Son who
sees. The Father's shewing begets the Son's seeing, as the
Father begets the Son? Shewing begets seeing, not seeing
shewing. But it would be more correct, and more spiritual,
not to view the Father as distinct from His shewing, or the
Hilar. Son from His seeing. Hilary. It must not be supposed
Trin 6c tnat t-ne Only Begotten God needed such shewing on account
19. of ignorance. For the shewing here is only the doctrine of
the nativity h; the self-existing Son, from the self-existing
£us- . Father. Aug. For to see the Father is to see His Son. The
Tr xxi.
Father so shews all His works to the Son, that the Son sees
them from the Father1. For the birth of the Son is in His
seeing: He sees from the same source, from which He is,
Hilar, and is born, and remains. Hilary. Nor did the heavenly
Trin. c. discourse lack the caution, to guard against our inferring
19« from these words any difference in the nature of the Son and
the Father. For He says that the works of the Father were
shewn to Him, not that strength was supplied Him for the
doing of them, in order to teach that this shewing is sub-
stantially nothing else than His birth ; for that simultaneously
with the Son Himself is born the Son's knowledge of the
Aug. works the Father will do through Him. Aug. But now from
rp •
Bg3 "Him whom we called coeternal with the Father, who saw
h i. e. implying another person (who i i. e. not looking toivard the Father,
shews) who is the author : first in order tut from Him ; i. e. being in the Father
of succession, i. e. the Father. It is at the time,
explained by the Aug. following.
VER. 21 — 23. ST. JOHN. 187
the Father, and existed in that He saw, we return to the
things of time, And He will shew him greater works than
these. But if He will shew him, i. e. is about to shew him,
He hath not vet shewn him: and when He does shew him,
others also will see; for it follows, That ye may believe. ItTr. xix.
is difficult to see what the eternal Father can shew in time
to the coetemal Son, \\ no knows all that exists within the
Father's mind. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He
will. To raise the dead was a greater work than to heal the
sick. But this is explained by consideriug that He Who
a little before spoke as God, now begins to speak as man.
As man, and therefore living in time, He will be shewn
greater works in time. Bodies will rise again by the human
dispensation by which the Son of God assumed manhood
in time; but souls by virtue of the eternity of the Divine
Substance. For which reason it was said before that the
Father loved the Son, and shewed Him what things soever
He did. For the Father shews the Son that souls are raised
up; for they are raised up by the Father and the Son, even
as they cannot live, except God give them life. Or the Tr. xxi.
Father is about to shew this to us, not to Him; according to
what follows, That ye may believe. This being the reason
why the Father would shew Him greater things than these.
But why did He not sav, shall shew you, instead of the
Son? Because we are members of the Son, and He, as it
were, learns in His members, even as He suffers in us. For
as He says, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of ///eMatt.
least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me: so, if '
we ask Him, how He, the Teacher of all things, learns, He
replies, When one of the least of My brethren learns, I learn.
21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom
he will.
22. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath com-
mitted all judgment unto the Son :
23. That all meu should honour the Son, even as
188 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
they honour the Father. He that honoureth not
the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent
him.
Aug. Aug. Having said that the Father would shew the Son
s. 5 e. greater works than these, He proceeds to describe these
greater works: For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.
These are plainly greater works, for it is more of a miracle
that a dead man should rise again, than that a sick man
should recover. We must not understand from the words,
that some are raised by the Father, others by the Son ; but
that the Son raises to life the same whom the Father raiseth.
And to guard against any one saying, The Father raises the
dead by the Sou, the former by His own power, the latter, like
an instrument, by another power, He asserts distinctly the
power of the Son: The Son quickeneth whom he will. Observe
here not only the power of the Son, but also His will. Father
and Son have the same power and will. The Father willeth
nothing distinct from the Son; but both have the same will,
Hilar, even as they have the same substance. Hilary. For to will is
vii c I9*the free power of a nature, which by the act of choice, resteth
Aug. in the blessedness of perfect excellence. Aug. But who are
r; xxl" these dead, whom the Father and Son raise to life? He
S. 11.
alludes to the general resurrection which is to be; not to the
resurrection of those few, who were raised to life, that the
rest might believe; as Lazarus, who rose again, to die
afterwards. Having said then, For as the Father raiseth up
the dead, and quickeneth them, to prevent our taking the
words to refer to the dead whom He raised up for the sake
of the miracle, and not to the resurrection to life eternal,
He adds, For the Father judgeth no man ; thus shewing that
He spoke of that resurrection of the dead which would take
Tr.xxiii. p]ace at the judgment. Or the words, As the Father raiseth
up the dead, fyc. refer to the resurrection of the soul; For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son, to the resurrection of the body. For the
resurrection of the soul takes place by the substance of the
VER. 21 23. ST. JOHN. 189
Father and the Son\ and therefore it is the work of the Father
and the Son together: but the resurrection of the body takes
place by a dispensation of the Son's humanity, which is a
temporal dispensation, and not coeternal with the Father.
But see how the Word of Christ leads the mind in different Tr. xxi.
directions, not allowing it any carnal resting place ; but by8,
variety of motion exercising it, by exercise purifying it, by
purifying enlarging its capacity, and after enlarging filling
it. He said just before that the Father shewed what things
soever He did to the Son. So I saw, as it were3 the Father
working, and the Son waiting: now again 1 see the Son
working, the Father resting. Aug. For this, viz. that the Aug.
Father hath given all judgment unto the Son, does not mean 3q '
that He begat the Son with this attribute, as is meant in the (xiii.)
words, So hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself.
For if so, it would not be said, The Father judgeth no man,
because, in that the Father begat the Son equal, He judgeth
with the Son. What is meant is, that in the judgment, not
the form of God but the form of the Son of man will appear;
not because He will not judge Who hath given all judgment
to the Son; since the Son says of Him below, Theve is onec. 19.
that seeketh and judgeth, but the Father judgeth no man;
i. e. no one will see Flim in the judgment, but all will see
the Son, because He is the Son of man, even the ungodly
who trill look on Him Whom they pierced. Hilary. Having zech.
said that the Son quickeneth whom He will, in order that i?:,
J t Hilar.
we might not lose sight of the nativity, and think that He de Trin.
stood upon the ground of His own unborn power, He im-vne'20'
mediately adds, For the Father judgeth no man, but hath
given all judgment unto the Son. In that all judgment is
given to Him, both His nature, and His nativity are shewn;
because only a self-existent nature can possess all things,
and nativity cannot have any thing, except what is given it.
Chrys. As He gave Him life, i. e. begot Him living; so He Chrys.
gave Him judgment, i. e. begot Him a judge. Gave, it is^Jj^
said, that thou mayest not think Him unbegotten, and imagine 1.
k For the soul becomes blessed from that which is inferior to itself, i e. the
partaking of God, not from partaking body ; so the soul again cannot be
of another blessed soul, nor by partaking endowed with heavenly life, but by
in any Angelic nature. For as the Him who is superior to the soul, even
soul being inferior to God gains life to God.
190 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
two Fathers: All judgment, because He has the awarding
Hilar, both of punishment and reward. Hilary. All judgment is
vii. de
Trim c. given to Him, because He quickens whom He will. Nor can
20, the judgment be looked on as taken away from the Father,
inasmuch as the cause of His not judging is, that the judg-
ment of the Son is His. For all judgment is given from the
Father. And the reason for which He gives it, appears im-
mediately after: That all men may honour the Son even as
Chrys. fjieu ]l0)WUr f/ie Father. Chrys. For, lest you should infer
Horn. J J
xxxix. from hearing that the Author of His power was the Father,
any difference of substance, or inequality of honour, He
connects the honour of the Son with the honour of the Father,
shewing that both have the same. But shall men then call
Him the Father ? God forbid ; he who calls Him the Father,
does not honour the Son equally with the Father, but confounds
Aug. both. Aug. First indeed, the Son appeared as a servant, and
xxi. s.
13.' the Father was honoured as God. But the Son will be seen
to be equal to the Father, that all men may honour the
1 ref. not Son, even as they honour the Father. !But what if persons
found are foun(jj w]10 honour the Father, and do not honour the
Son ? It cannot be: He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth
not the Father which hath sent Him. It is one thing to
acknowledge God, as God; and another to acknowledge
Him as the Father. When thou acknowledgest God the
Creator, thou acknowledgest an almighty, supreme, eternal,
invisible, immutable Spirit. When thou acknowledgest the
Father, thou dost in reality acknowledge the Son ; for He
could not be the Father, had He not the Son. But if thou
honour the Father as greater, the Son as less, so far as thou
givest less^honour to the Son, thou takest away from the
honour of the Father. For thou in reality thinkest that the
Father could not or would not beget the Son equal to
Himself; which if He would not do, He was envious, if He
Tr.xxhi. could not, He was weak. Or, That all men should honour
s' 13, the Son even as they honour the Father; has a reference to
the resurrection of souls, which is the work of the Son, as
well as of the Father. But the resurrection of the body is
meant in what comes after: He that honoureth not the Son,
honoureth not the Father that sent Him. Here is no as;
the man Christ is honoured, but not as the Father Who sent
VER. '24. ST. JOHN. 191
Him, since with respect to His manhood He Himself saith,
My Father is greater than I. But some one will say, Tr. xxi.
if the Son is sent by the Father, He is inferior to the Father. s*
Leave thy fleshly actions, and understand a mission, not a
separation. Human things deceive, divine things make
clear ; although even human things give testimony against
thee, e. g. if a man offers marriage to a woman, and cannot
obtain her by himself, he sends a friend, greater than himself,
to urge his suit for him. But see the difference in human
things. A man does not go with him whom he sends ; but
the Father Who sent the Son, never ceased to be with the
Son; as we read, I am not alone, but the Father is with Me. e. 21.
Aug. It is not, however, as being born of the Father, that Aug.
the Son is said to be sent, but from His appearing in this™,
world, as the Word made flesh; as He savs, / went forth 28. (xx.)
from the Father, and am come into the world: or from His2g# '
being received into our minds individually, as we read1, Send
her, that she may be with me, and may labour with me.
Hilary. The conclusion then stands good against all the Hilar,
furv of heretical minds. He is the Son, because He does?1* e
' Inn. c.
nothing of Himself: He is God, because, whatsoever things 21.
the Father doeth, He doeth the same; They are one, because
They are equal in honour: He is not the Father, because He
is sent.
24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
my word, and belie veth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.
Gloss. Having said that the Son quickeneth whom He
will, He next shews that we attain to life through the Son:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life. Aug. If Aug.
in hearing and believing is eternal life, how much more in Tr.xxn.
understanding? But the step to our piety is faith, the fruit
of faith, understanding. It is not, Believeth on Me, but on
Him that sent Me. Why is one to hear His word, and believe
another ? Is it not that He means to say, His word is in
1 Wisd. 9, 10. The Vulgate is: Mitte illam ut mecum sit, et mecuin laboret.
192 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAT V.
Me? And what is, Heareth My word, but heaveth Me? And
it is, Believeth on Him that sent Me; as to say, He that
believeth on Him, believeth on His Word, i. e. on Me, because
Chrys. i am t]ie Word of the Father. Chrys. Or, He did not sav,
xxxix. He that heareth My words, and believeth on Me ; as they
2* would have thought this empty boasting and arrogance.
To say, Believeth on Him that sent Me, was a better way of
making His discourse acceptable. To this end He says two
things: one, that he who hears Him, believes on the Father;
the other, that he who hears and believes shall not come into
Aug. condemnation. Aug. But who is this favoured Person? Will
I r x^cn
s.4Jetsq! there be anyone better than the Apostle Paul, who says,
1 Cor. 6. We mnsi all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ?
Now judgment sometimes means punishment, sometimes
trial. In the sense of trial, we must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ : in the sense of condemnation we
read, some shall not come into judgment ; i. e. shall not be
condemned. It follows, but is passed from death into life:
not, is now passing, but hath passed from the death of
unbelief, into the life of faith, from the death of sin, unto the
life of righteousness. Or, it is so said perhaps, to prevent
our supposing that faith would save us from bodily death,
that penalty which we must pay for Adam's transgression.
He, in whom we all then were, heard the divine sentence,
Gen. 2. Thou shalt surely die ; nor can we evade it. But when we
have suffered the death of the old man, we shall receive the
life of the new, and by death make a passage to life.
Tr. xix. But to what life? To life everlasting: the dead shall rise
again at the end of the world, and enter into everlasting life.
Tr.xxii. For this life does not deserve the name of life; only
Aug. that life is true which is eternal. Aug. We see the lovers of
it erb'this present transitory life so intent on its welfare, that when
JJom. *
Serm. in danger of death, they will take any means to delay its
approach, though they can not hope to drive it off altogether.
If so much care and labour then is spent on gaining a little
additional length of life, how ought we to strive after life
eternal ? And if they are thought wise, who endeavour in
every way to put off death, though they can live but a few
days longer ; how foolish are they who so live, as to lose the
eternal day ?
VER. 25, 26. ST. JOHN. 193
25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall
live.
26. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath
he given to the Son to have life in himself.
Aug. Some one might ask thee, The Father quickeneth Aug.
Tr xxi i i
him who believes on Him; but what of thee ? dost thou nots, \±m
quicken ? Observe thou that the Son also quickens whom
He will: Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming,
and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God; and they that hear shall live. Chrys. After, The Chrys.
hour cometh, He adds, and now is; to let us know that itxxxix#2.
will not be long before it comes. For as in the future resur-
rection we shall be roused by hearing His voice speaking to
us, so is it now. Theophyl. Here He speaks with a refer-
ence to those whom He was about to raise from the dead :
viz. the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, the son of
the widow, and Lazarus. Aug. Or, He means to guard 4 ug.
Tr« xxii
against our thinking, that the being passed from death tos. \2,
life, refers to the future resurrection ; its meaning being, that
he who believes is passed : and therefore He says, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, (what hour?) and
now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God, and they that hear shall live. He saith not, because
they live, they hear; but in consequence of hearing, they
come to life again. But what is hearing, but obeying? For
they who believe and do according to the true faith, live, and
are not dead; whereas those who believe not, or, believing,
live a bad life, and have not love, are rather to be accounted
dead. And yet that hour is still going on, and will go on,
the same hour, to the end of the world : as John says, It is\ J°hn
— , 1 ■ > .
the last hour. Aug. When the dead, i. e. unbelievers, shall
hear the voice of the Son of God, i. e. the Gospel : and they
that hear, i. e. who obey, shall live, i. e. be justified, and no
longer remain in unbelief. Aug. But some one will ask, Aut
'g-
'I1 * * '
Hath the Son life, whence those who believe will live ? 8, 9*
Hear His own words : As the Father hath life in Himself, so
o
194 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. Life is
original and absolute in Him, cometh from no other source,
dependeth on no other power. He is not as if He were partaker
of a life, which is not Himself; but has life in Himself: so
as that He Himself is His own life. Hear, O dead soul, the
Father, speaking by the Son : arise, that thou ruayest receive
that life which thou hast not in thyself, and enter into the
first resurrection. For this life, which the Father and the
Son are, pertaineth to the soul, and is not perceived by the
body. The rational mind only discovers the life of wisdom.
Hilary. The heretics, driven hard by Scripture proofs, are
obliged to attribute to the Son at any rate a likeness, in
respect of virtue, to the Father. But they do not admit a
likeness of nature, not being able to see that a likeness of
virtue, could not arise but from a likeness of nature ; as an
inferior nature can never attain to the virtue of a higher and
better one. And it cannot be denied *that the Son of God
has the same virtue with the Father, when He says, What
things soever (the Father) doeth, the same doeth the Son
likewise. But an express mention of the likeness of nature
follows : As the Father hath life in Himself so hath He given
to the Son to have life in Himself. In life are comprehended
nature and essence. And the Son, as He hath it, so hath He
it given to Him. For the same which is life in both, is
essence in both ; and the life, i. e. essence, which is begotten
from life, is born ; though not bom unlike the other. For,
being life from life, it remains like in nature to its origin.
Aue. Aug. The Father must he understand not to have given life
^'ine to the Son, who was existing without life, but so to have
c.47. begotten Him, independently of time, that the life which He
fxxvi. /
„., ' gave Him in begetting, was coeternal with His own. Hilary.
Hilar. ° m . .
vii. de Living born from living, hath the perfection of nativity,
c 2° J2S without tne newness of nature. For there is nothing new
implied in generation from living to living, the life not
coming at its birth from nothing. And the life which derives
its birth from life, must by the unity of nature, and the
sacrament of a perfect birth, both be in the living being,
and have the being who lives it, in itself. Weak human
nature indeed is made up of unequal elements, and brought
to life out of inanimate matter; nor does the human offspring
VER. 27 — 29. ST. JOHN. 195
live for some time after it is begotten. Neither does it
wholly live from life, since much grows up in it insensi-
bly, and decays insensibly. But in the case of God, the
whole of what He is, lives : for God is life, and from life, can
nothing be but what is living. Aug. Given to the Son, then, Aus- .
Tr. xxii
has the meaning of, begat the Son; for He gave Him the s. io.
life, by begetting. As He gave Him being, so He gave Him
to have life in Himself; so that the Son did not stand in
need of life to come to Him from without ; but was in Himself
the fulness of life, whence others, i. e. believers, received
their life. What then is the difference between Them?
This, that one gave, the other received. Chrys The like- Chrys.
ness is perfect in all but one respect, viz. that, in point of Xxxix.
essence, one is the Father, the other the Son. Hilary. For3-
the person of the receiver, is distinct from that of the giver :
it being inconceivable that one and the same person, should
give to and receive from Himself. He who lives of Himself
is one person : He who acknowledges an Author of His life
is another.
27. And hath given him authority to execute judg-
ment also, because he is the Son of man.
28. Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in
the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice,
29. And shall come forth ; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Theophyl. The Father granted the Son power not only
to give life, but also to execute judgment. And hath given
Him authority to execute judgment. Chrys. But why does Chrys.
He dwell so constantly on these subjects ; judgment, resur- Hon?-
XXXIX*
rection, and life? Because these are the most powerful s. 3.
arguments for bringing men over to the faith, and the most
likely ones to prevail with obstinate hearers. For one who
is persuaded that he shall rise again, and be called by the
Son to account for his misdeeds, will, though he know
nothing more than this, be anxious to propitiate his Judge.
o 2
190 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
It follows, Because He is the Son of man, marvel not at this.
Paul of Samosata reads it, Hath given Him power to execute
judgment also, because He is the Son of man. But this con-
nexion has no meaning ; for He does not receive the power
to judge because He is man, (as, on this supposition, what
would prevent all men from being judges :) but because He
is the ineffable Son of God ; therefore is He Judge. We
must read it then, Because He is the Son of man, marvel
not at this. As Christ's hearers thought him a mere man,
and as what He asserted of Himself was too high to be true
of men, or even angels, or any being short of God Himself,
there was a strong obstacle in the way of their believing,
which our Lord notices in order to remove it : Marvel not,
He says, that He is the Son of man : and then adds the
reason why they should not marvel : For the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice
of the Son of God. And why did He not say, Marvel not
that He is the Son of man : because in truth He is the Son
of God? Because, having given out that it was He who
should raise men from the dead, the resurrection being a
strictly divine work, He leaves His hearers to infer that He is
God, and the Son of God. Persons in arguing often do this.
When they have brought out grounds amply sufficient to
prove the conclusion they want, they do not draw that con-
clusion themselves ; but, to make the victory greater, leave
the opponent to draw it. In referring above to the resurrec-
tion of Lazarus and the rest, he said nothing about judgment,
for Lazarus did not rise again for judgment; whereas now,
that He is speaking of the general resurrection, He brings in
the mention of the judgment: And {they) shall come forth, He
says, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life,
and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damna-
tion. Having said above, He that heareth 3Iy words, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life ; that
men might not suppose from this, that belief was sufficient
for salvation, He proceeds to speak of works : And they that
A have done good, — and they that have done evil. Aug. Or
Tr.xxii. thus: Inasmuch as the Word was in the beginning with God,
s. 10,11! the Father gave Him to have life in Himself; but inasmuch
as the Word was made flesh of the Virgin Mary, being made
VER. 27 — 29. ST. JOHN. 197
man, He became the Son of man : and as the Son of man,
He received power to execute judgment at the end of the
world ; at which time the bodies of the dead shall rise again.
The souls then of the dead God raises by Christ the Son of
God ; their bodies by the same Christ, the Son of man.
Wherefore He adds, Because He is the Son of man: for, as
to the Son of God, He always had the power. Aug. At the Aug.
judgment will appear the form of man, that form will judge, Dom<
which was judged ; He will sit a Judge Who stood before the Ser- 64«
judge ; He will condemn the guilty, Who was condemned
innocent. For it is proper that the judged should see their
Judge. Now the judged consist of both good and bad; so
that the form of the servant will be shewn to good and bad
alike; the form of God to the good only. Blessed are the Matt. 5,
pure in heart, for they shall see God. Aug. None if the ^UCT>
founders of false religious sects have been able to deny theTr-xix«
resurrection of the soul, but many have denied the resur-
rection of the body; and, unless Thou, Lord Jesus, hadst
declared it, what answer could we give the gainsayer? To
set forth this truth, He says, Marvel not at this ; (i. e. that
He hath given power to the Son of man to execute judgment,)
for the hour is coming, fyc. Aug. He does not add, And^us-
now is, here ; because this hour would be at the end of the Dom.
world. Marvel not, i. e. marvel not, men will all be judged Ser* 64,
by a man. But what men ? Not those only, whom He will
find alive, For the hour cometh, in which all that are in their
graves shall hear His voice. Aug. What can be plainer ? Aug.
Men's bodies are in their graves, not their souls. Above joan.
when He said, The hour cometh. and added, and now is ; Tr- xix-
s 17 18
He proceeds, When the dead shall hear the voice of the
Son of God. He does not say, All the dead ; for by the
dead are meant the wicked, and the wicked have not all
been brought to obey the Gospel. But in the end of the
world all that are in their graves shall hear His voice, and
come forth. He does not say, Shall live, as He said above,
when He spoke of the eternal and blessed life ; which all
will not have, who shall come forth from their graves. This
judgment was committed to Him because He was the Son
of man. But what takes place in this judgment? They that
have done good shall go unto the resurrection of life, i. e. to
198 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
live with the Angels of God ; they that have done evil unto
the resurrection of judgment. Judgment here meaning
damnation.
30. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I
judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not
mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath
sent me.
Aug. _ Aug. We were about to ask Christ, Thou wilt iudge, and
Tr. xix.
s. 19. the Father not judge: wilt not Thou then judge according to
the Father? He anticipates us by saying, / can of Mine
Chrys. own Self do nothing. Chrys. That is, nothing that is a
xxxix.4. departure from, or that is unlike to, what the Father wishes,
shall ye see done by Me, but as I hear, I judge. He is only
shewing that it was impossible He should ever wish any
thing but what the Father wished. I judge, His meaning
£ug* is, as if it were My Father that iudged. Aug. When He
Tr.xxiii. J &
s. 15. ' spoke of the resurrection of the soul, He did not say, Hear,
v. 19. but, See. Hear implies a command issuing from the Father.
Aug. He speaks as man, who is inferior to the Father. Aug.
contr! As I hear, I judge, is said with reference either to His
Arrian. human subordination, as the Son of man, or to that immu-
c.9.(xiv \ ' *
table and simple nature of the Sonship derived from the
Father; in which nature hearing and seeing is identical
ut sup. with being. Wherefore as He hears, He judges. The Word
' XT11' is begotten one with the Father, and therefore judges ac-
c. xvii. cording to truth. It follows, And 3Iy judgment is just,
because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father
which hath sent Me. This is intended to take us back to
sc. Adam, ^at man who, by seeking his own will, not the will of Him
who made him, did not judge himself justly, but had a just
judgment pronounced upon him. He did not believe that,
by doing his own will, not God's, he should die. So he did
his own will, and died; because the judgment of God is
just, which judgment the Son of God executes, by not seeking
His own will, i. e. His will as being the Son of man. Not
that He has no will in judging, but His will is not His own
Aug. in such sense, as to be different from the Father's. Aug.
3i9.X1X I seek not then Mine own will, i. e. the will of the Son of
man, in opposition to God : for men do their own will, not
VER. 31 40. ST. JOHN. 199
God's, when, to do what they wish, they violate God's com-
mands. But when they so do what they wish, as at the
same time to follow the will of God, they do not their own
will. Or, I seek not Mine own will: i. e. because I am not
of myself, but of the Father. Chrys. He shews that the Chrys.
Father's will is not a different one from His own, but one andxx°x™x.4.
the same, as a ground of defence. Nor marvel if being
hitherto thought no more than a mere man, He defends
Himself in a somewhat human way, and shews his judgment
to be just on the same ground which any other person would
have taken; viz. that one who has his own ends in view,
may incur suspicion of injustice, but that one who has not
cannot. Aug. The only Son says, / seek not Mine own Aug.
Tr xx i
will: and yet men wish to do their own will. Let us do the
will of the Father, Christ, and Holy Ghost : for these have
one will, power, and majesty.
31. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not
true.
32. There is another that beareth witness of me;
and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me
is true.
33. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto
the truth.
34. But I receive not testimony from man : but
these things I say, that ye might be saved.
35. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye
were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
36. But I have greater witness than that of John:
for the works which the Father hath given me to finish,
the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the
Father hath sent me.
37. And the Father himself, which hath sent me,
hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his
voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for
whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39. Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye
*200 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
have eternal life: and they are they which testify of
me.
40. And ye will not come to me, that ye might
have life.
Chrys. Chrys. He now brings proof of those high declarations
xl°™' respecting Himself. He answers an objection : If I bear
witness of Myself , My witness is not true. These are Christ's
own words. But does not Christ in many places bear witness
of Himself? And if all this is false, where is our hope of
salvation ? Whence shall we obtain truth, when the Truth
Itself says, My witness is not true. We must believe then
that true, here, is said, not with reference to the intrinsic
value of His testimony, but to their suspicions ; for the Jews
might say, We do not believe Thee, because no one who bears
witness to himself is to be depended on. In answer then,
he puts forth three clear and irrefragable proofs, three wit-
nesses as it were, to the truth of what He had said ; the works
which He had done, the testimony of the Father, and the
preaching of John: putting the least of these foremost, i. e.
the preaching of John : There is another that beareth wit-
ness of Me: and I know that the witness which he witnesseth
Aug. of Me is true. Aug. He knew Himself that His witness
de erb. Q£ Hjmseif vvas true, but in compassion to the weak and
43. unbelieving, the Sun sought for candles, that their weak sight
might not be dazzled by His full blaze. And therefore John
was brought forward to give his testimony to the truth. Not
that there is such testimony really, for whatever witnesses
bear witness to Him, it is really He who bears witness to
Himself; as it is His dwelling in the witnesses, which moves
them so to give their witness to the truth. Alcuin. Or
thus; Christ, being both God and man, He shews the proper
existence of both, by sometimes speaking according to the
nature he took from man, sometimes according to the majesty
of the Godhead. If I bear witness of Myself 3Iy witness is
not true: this is to be understood of His humanity; the sense
being, If 1, a man, bear witness of Myself i. e. without
God, My witness is not true : and then follows, There is another
that beareth witness of Me. The Father bore witness of
Christ, by the voice which was heard at the baptism, and at
VER. 31 — 40. ST. JOHN. 201
the transfiguration on the mount. And I know that His wit-
ness is true ; because He is the God of truth. How then
can His witness be otherwise than true ? Chrys. But ac- chrys.
cording to the former interpretation, they might say to Him, ^°™*
If Thy witness is not true, how sayest Thou, I know that the
witness of John is true ? But His answer meets the objec-
tion : Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness of the truth :
as if to say : Ye would not have sent to John, if ye had not
thought him worthy of credit. And what is more remarkable,
they did send to him, not to ask Him about Christ, but
about himself. For they who were sent out did not say, What
sayest thou of Christ? but, Who art thou? what sayest lhouc. \y 22.
of thyself? In so great admiration did they hold him.
Alcuin. But he bore witness not to himself, but to the truth:
as the friend of the truth, he bore witness to the truth, i. e.
Christ. Our Lord, on His part, does not reject the witness
of John, as not being necessary, but shews only that men
ought not to give such attention to John as to forget that
Christ's witness was all that was necessary to Himself.
But I receive not, He says, testimony from men. Beds.
Because I do not want it. John, though he bore witness, did
it not that Christ might increase, but that men might be
brought to the knowledge of Him. Chrys. Even the witness chrys.
of John was the witness of God : for what he said, God Hom.
xl. 2.
taught him. But to anticipate their asking how it appeared
that God taught John, as if the Jews had objected that
John's witness might not be true, our Lord anticipates them
by saying, " Ye sought him yourselves to enquire of him;
that is why I use his testimony, for I need it not." He adds,
But these things I say that ye might be saved. As if He
said, I being God, needed not this human kind of testimony.
But, since ye attend more to him, and think him more worthy
of credit than any one else, while ye do not believe me, though
I work miracles; for this cause I remind you of his testimony.
But had they not received John's testimony ? Before they
have time to ask this, He answers it : He was a burning and
a shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice
in his light. He says this to shew, how lightly they had held
by John, and how soon they had left him, thus preventing
him from leading them to Christ. He calls him a caudle,
202 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
because John had not his light from himself, but from the
grace of the Holy Spirit. Alcuin. John was a candle lighted
by Christ, the Light, burning with faith and love, shining in
word and deed. He was sent before, to confound the enemies
Ps. 131. of Christ, according to the Psalm, I have ordained a lantern for
Mine Anointed; as for His enemies, I shall clothe them with
Chrys. shame™. Chrys. I therefore direct you to John, not because
xl. 2. I wantlris testimony, but that yemay be saved: fox I have greater
witness than that of John, i. e. that of my works; The works
which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works
that I do bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me.
Alcuin. That He enlightens the blind, that He opens the
deaf ear, looses the mouth of the dumb, casts out devils,
Hilar, raises the dead: these works bear witness of Christ. Hilary.
Trin. c. The Only -begotten God shews Himself to be the Son, on
2?- the testimony not of man only, but of His own power. The
works which He does, bear witness to His being sent from
the Father. Therefore the obedience of the Son and the
authority of the Father are set forth in Him who was sent.
But the testimony of works not being sufficient evidence,
it follows, And the Father Himself which hath sent 3Ie,
hath borne witness of Me. Open the Evangelic volumes,
and examine their whole range: no testimony of the Father
to the Son is given in any of the books, other than that He
is the Sou. So what a calumny is it in men now saying
that this is only a name of adoption: thus making God
Bede. a liar, and names unmeaning. Bede. By His mission we
" oan'must understand His incarnation. Lastly, He shews that
God is incorporeal, and cannot be seen by the bodily eye:
Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His
shape. Alcuin. The Jews might say, We heard the voice
of the Lord at Sinai, and saw Him under the appearance of
fire. If God then bears witness of Thee, we should know
His voice. To which He replies, I have the witness of the
Father, though ye understand it not; because ye never heard
Chrys. jjjs voiCG) or saw His shape. Chrys. How then says Moses,
3
m Alcuin literally, John bore witness if lighted from himself, but lighted by
of Christ, like a candle, not in order to Christ. The words in the text are taken
heal his friends, but to confound his from an interlineary gloss and a sermon
enemies .... John was not a candle, as of St Bernard on John. Nic.
VER. 31—40. ST. JOHN. 203
Ask — whether there hath been any such thing as this great Bent. 4 ,
thing is : did ever people hear the voice of God, speaking out ' '
of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard and seen ? Isaiah
too, and many others, are said to have seen Him. So what
does Christ mean here? He means to impress upon them
the philosophical doctrine, that God has neither voice,
or appearance, or shape; but is superior to such modes of
speaking of Him. For as in saying, Ye have never heard
His voice, He does not mean to say that He has a voice, only
not an audible one to them; so when He says, Nor have even
His shape, no tangible, sensible, or visible shape is implied to
belong to God: but all such mode of speaking is pronounced
inapplicable to God. Alcuin. For it is not by the carnal
ear, but by the spiritual understanding, through the grace of
the Holy Spirit, that God is heard. And they did not hear
the spiritual voice, because they did not love or obey Him,
nor saw they His shape; inasmuch as that is not to be seen
by the outward eye, but by faith and love. Chrys. But it Chrys.
was impossible for them to declare that they had received, 3#
and obeyed God's commands: and therefore He adds, Ye
have not His word abiding in you; i. e. the commandments,
the law, and the prophets; though God instituted them, ye
have them not. For if the Scriptures every where tell you to
believe on Me, and ye believe not, it is manifest that His
word is gone from you: For whom He hath sent, Him ye
believe not. Alcuin. Or thus; they cannot have abiding in
them the Word which was in the beginning, who came not to
keep in mind, or fulfil in practice, that word of God which
they hear. Having mentioned the testimonies of John, and
the Father, and of His works, He adds now that of the
Mosaic Law: Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye
have eternal life; and they are they which testify of
Me: as if He said, Ye think ye have eternal life in the
Scriptures, and reject Me as being opposed to Moses: but
you will find that Moses himself testifies to My being God,
if you search the Scripture carefully. All Scripture indeed
bears witness of Christ, whether by its types, or by prophets,
or by the ministering of Angels. But the Jews did not
believe these intimations of Christ, and therefore could not
obtain eternal life: Ye will not come to Me, that ye may
204 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
have life; meaning, The Scriptures bear witness of Me,
but ye will not come to Me notwithstanding, i. e. ye will
not believe on Me, and seek for salvation at My hands.
Chrys. Chrys. Or the connection may be given thus. They might
3. say to Him, How, if we have never heard God's voice, has
God borne witness to you ? So He says, Search the Scriptures;
meaning that God had borne witness of Him by the Scriptures.
He had borne witness indeed at the Jordan, and on the
mount. But thev did not hear the voice on the mount, and
did not attend to it at the Jordan. Wherefore He sends
them to the Scriptures, when they would also find the
Hom. Father's testimony. He did not send them however to
the Scriptures simply to read them, but to examine them
attentively, because Scripture ever threw a shade over its
own meaning, and did not display it on the surface. The
treasure was, as it were, hidden from their eye. He does
not say, For in them ye have eternal life, but, For in them ye
think ye have eternal life; meaning that they did not reap
much fruit from the Scriptures, thinking, as they did, that
they should be saved by the mere reading of them, without
faith. For which reason He adds, Ye will not come to Me ;
Bede. i. e. ye will not believe on Me. Bede. That coming is put
Joan. f°r believing we know, Come unto Him, and be lightened,
Ps. 33. He adds, That ye might have life; For, if the soul which
sinneth dies, they were dead in soul and mind. And therefore
He promises the life of the soul, i. e. eternal happiness.
41. I receive not honour from men.
42. But I know you, that ye have not the love of
God in you.
43. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive
me not : if another shall come in his own name, him
ye will receive.
44. How can ye believe, which receive honour one
of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from
God only ?
45. Do not think that I will accuse you to the
n "Vulg. They had an eye unto Him, and were lightened.
VER. 41 47. ST. JOHN. 205
Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses,
in whom ye trust.
46. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have
believed me : for he wrote of me.
47. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye
believe my words?
Chrys. Our Lord having made mention of John, and the chrys.
witness of God, and His own works, many, who did not see^P™'
that His motive was to induce them to believe, might suspect
Him of a desire for human glory, and therefore He says,
I receive not honour from men : i. e. I do not want it. My
nature is not such as to want that glory, which cometh from
men. For if the Son receives no addition from the light of
a candle, much more am not I in want of human glory.
Alcuin. Or, / receive not honour from men: i. e. I seek
not human praise; for 1 came not to receive carnal honour
from men, but to give spiritual honour to men. I do not
bring forward this testimony then, because I seek my own
glory; but because I compassionate your wanderings, and
wish to bring you back to the way of truth. Hence what
follows, But I know you that ye have not the love of God
in you, Chrys. As if to say, T said this to prove that Chrys.
it is not from your love of God, that you persecute Me; forxij#i[
He bears witness to Me, by My own works, and by the
Scriptures. So that, if ye loved God, as ye rejected Me,
thinking Me against God, so now ye would come to Me.
But ye do not love Him. And He proves this, not only
from what they do now, but from what they will do in
time to come: / am come in My Father's iwane, and ye
receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him
ye will receive. He says plainly, / am come in the Father's
name, that they might never be able to plead ignorance as
an excuse Alcuin. As if He said, For this cause came I
into the world, that through Me the name of the Father might
be glorified; for I attribute all to Him. As then they would
not receive Him, Who came to do His Father's will ; they
had not the love of God. But Antichrist will come not in
the Father's name, but in his own, to seek, not the Father's
glory, but his own. And the Jews having rejected Christ, it
206 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
was a fit punishment on them, that they should receive
Antichrist, and believe a lie, as they would not believe the
Aug. Truth. Aug. Hear John, As ye have heard that Antichrist
Dom. shall come, even now are there many Antichrists. But what
Serm. <jost thou dread in Antichrist, except that he will exalt his
a .
med. own name, and despise the name of the Lord? And what
J John 2, elge ^oeg jie ^ wj1Q gayS^ u j justify;" 0r those who say,
" Unless we are good, ye must perish °?" Wherefore my life
shall depend on Thee, and my salvation shall be fastened to
Thee. Shall I so forget my foundation ? Is not my rock
Chrys. Christ ? Chrys. Here is the crowning proof of their impiety.
xli. 13. He says, as it were, If it was the love of God that made you
persecute me, you would persecute Antichrist much more :
for he does not profess to be sent by the Father, or to come
according to His will ; but, on the contrary, usurping what
does not belong to him, will proclaim himself to be God
over all. It is manifest that your persecution of Me is from
malice and hatred of God. Then He gives the reason of
their unbelief: How can ye believe, which receive honour one
of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God
only ? another proof this, that theirs was not a zeal for
God, but a gratification of their own passions. Alcuin. How
faulty then is the boasting temper, and that eagerness for
human praise, which likes to be thought to have what it has
not, and would fain be thought to have all that it has, by its own
strength. Men of such temper cannot believe ; for in their
hearts, they are bent solely on gaining praise, and setting
themselves up above others. Bede. The best way of guard-
ing against this sin, is to bring to our consciences the
remembrance, that we are dust, and should ascribe all the
good that we have not to ourselves, but to God. And we
should endeavour always to be such, as we wish to appear
to others. Then, as they might ask, Wilt thou accuse us then
to the Father ? He anticipates this question : Do not think
Chrys. that I will accuse you to the Father. Chrys. For I am not
xli. 2. come to condemn, but to save. There is one that accuseth
you, even Moses, in whom you trust. As He had said of the
° Alluding to the Donatists, who denied the efficacy of any but their own
made baptismal justification to depend Baptism. Nic.
on the goodness of the minister, and
VER. 41 — 47. ST. JOHN. 207
Scriptures above : In them ye think ye have eternal life. So
now of Moses He says. In whom ye trust, always answering
them out of their authorities. But they will say, How will
he accuse us ? What hast Thou to do with Moses, Thou who
hast broken the sabbath ? So He adds : For had ye believed
Moses, ye would perhaps have believed Me, for he wrote of
me. This is connected with what was said before. For
where evidence that He came from God had been forced
upon them by His words, by the voice of John, and the
testimony of the Father, it was certain that Moses would
condemn them: for he had said, If any one shall come, allH?lnS
, to Deut.
doing miracles, leading men to God, and foretelling the future 13, l.
with certainty, you must obey him. Christ did all this, and
they did not obey Him. Alcuin. Perhaps, He says, in ac-
commodation to our way of speaking, not because there is
really any doubting in God. Moses prophesied of Christ,
A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise upfront among Bent,
your brethren like unto me: Him shall ye hear. Aug. But, j.8' 18,
in fact, the whole that Moses wrote, was written of Christ, cont.
i. e. it has reference to Him principally ; whether it point x^l i"
to Him by figurative actions, or expression; or set forth His
grace and glory.
But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My
words. Theophyl. As if He said, He has even written,
and has left his books among you, as a constant memento to
you, lest you forget His words. And since you believe
not his writings, how can ye believe My unwritten words ?
Alcuin. From this we may infer too, that he who knows the
commandments against stealing, and other crimes, and
neglects them, will never fulfil the more perfect and refined
precepts of the Gospel. Chrys. Indeed had they attended Chrys.
to His words, they ought and would have tried to learn from^J'
Him, what the things were which Moses had written of Him.
But they are silent. For it is the nature of wickedness to
defy persuasion. Do what you will, it retains its venom to
the last.
CHAP. VI.
1. After these things Jesus went over the sea of
Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2. And a great multitude followed him, because
they saw his miracles which he did on them that were
diseased.
3. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he
sat with his disciples.
4. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
5. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw
a great company come unto him, he saith unto
Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eat?
6. And this he said to prove him : for he himself
knew what he would do.
7. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth
of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of
them may take a little.
8. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's
brother, saith unto him,
9. There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves,
and two small fishes: but what are they among so
many ?
10. And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now
there was much grass in the place. So the men sat
down, in number about five thousand.
11. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had
given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the
disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of
the fishes as much as they would.
VER. 1 — 14. GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 209
12. When they were filled, he said unto his
disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that
nothing be lost.
13. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley
loaves, which remained over and above unto them that
had eaten.
14. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle
that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet
that should come into the world.
Chrys. As missiles rebound with great force from a hard ^Thr>'s-
,. , Horn.
body, and fly off in all directions, whereas a softer material xlii. l.
retains and stops them; so violent men are only excited
to greater rage by violence on the side of their opponents,
whereas gentleness softens them. Christ quieted the irritation
of the Jews by retiring from Jerusalem. He went into
Galilee, but not to Cana again, but beyond the sea :
After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which
is the sea of Tiberias. Alcuin. This sea hath different
names, from the different places with which it is connected ;
the sea of Galilee, from the province; the sea of Tiberias, from
the city of that name. It is called a sea, though it is not salt
water, that name being applied to all large pieces of water,
in Hebrew. This sea our Lord often passes over, in going
to preach to the people bordering on it. Theophyl. He
goes from place to place to try the dispositions of people,
and excite a desire to hear Him : And a great multitude
followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did
on them that were diseased. Alcuin. viz. His giving sight
to the blind, and other like miracles. And it should be
understood, that all, whom He healed in body, He renewed
likewise in soul. Chrys. Though favoured with such Chrys.
teaching, they were influenced less by it, than by thexli°jm^
miracles ; a sign of their low state of belief : for Paul says
of tongues, that they are for a sign, not to them, that believe, i Cor.
but to them that believe not. They were wiser of whom it is
said, that they were astonished at His doctrine. The Matty,
28.
210 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
Evangelist does not say what miracles He wrought, the
great object of his book being to give our Lord's discourses.
It follows: And Jesus went up into a mountain, aud there
sat with His disciples. He went up into the mountain, on
account of the miracle which was going to be done. That
the disciples alone ascended with Him, implies that the
people who stayed behind were in fault for not following. He
went up to the mountain too, as a lesson to us to retire from
the tumult and confusion of the world, and leave wisdom in
solitude. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, teas nigh.
Observe, in a whole year, the Evangelist has told us of no
miracles of Christ, except His healing the impotent man,
and the nobleman's son. His object was to give not a
regular history, but only a few of the principal acts of our
Lord. But why did not our Lord go up to the feast ? He
was taking occasion, from the wickedness of the Jews,
gradually to abolish the Law. Theophyl. The persecutions
of the Jews gave Him reason for retiring, and thus setting
aside the Law. The truth being now revealed, types were
at an end, and He was under no obligation to keep the
Mat. 14, Jcwish feasts. Observe the expression, a feast of the Jews,
not a feast of Christ. Bede. If we compare the accounts of
the different Evangelists, we shall find very clearly, that
there was an interval of a year between the beheading of
John, and our Lord's Passion. For, since Matthew says that
our Lord, on hearing of the death of John, withdrew into a
desert place, where He fed the multitude ; and John says
that the Passover was nigh, when He fed the multitude; it is
evident that John was beheaded shortly before the Passover.
And at the same feast, the next vear Christ suffered.
It follows, When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a
great company come unto Him , He saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we bug bread, that these may eat ? When Jesus
lifted up His eyes, this is to shew us, that Jesus was not
generally with His eyes lifted up, looking about Him, but
sitting calm and attentive, surrounded by His disciples.
Chrys. Chrys. Nor did He only sit with His disciples, but con-
xliTi versed with them familiarly, and gained possession of their
minds. Then He looked, and saw a crowd advancing. But
why did He ask Philip that question ? Because He knew
VER. 1 — 14. ST. JOHN. 211
that His disciples, and he especially, needed further teaching.
For this Philip it was who said afterwards, Shew us tltec. a, 8.
Father, and it sufficeth us. And if the miracle had been
performed at once, without any introduction, the greatness
of it would not have been seen. The disciples were made to
confess their own inability, that thev might see the miracle
more clearly; And this He said to prove him. Aug. OneAu^.
kind of temptation leads to sin, with which God never tempts p61
any one; and there is another land by which faith is tried. Serm.
In this sense it is said that Christ proved His disciple. This james
is not meant to imply that He did not know what Philip1'13*
r Deut.
would say; but is an accommodation to men's way of speak- 13, 3.
ing. For as the expression, Who searcheth the hearts of
men, does not mean the searching of ignorance, but of
absolute knowledge ; so here, when it is said that our Lord
proved Philip, we must understand that He knew him
perfectly, but that He tried him, in order to confirm his faith.
The Evangelist himself guards against the mistake which
this imperfect mode of speaking might occasion, by adding,
For He Himself knew what He would do. Alcuin. He asks
him this question, not for His own information, but in order
to shew His yet unformed disciple his dulness of mind, which
he could not perceive of himself. Theophyl. Or to shew
others it. He was not ignorant of His disciple's heart Him-
self. Aug. But if our Lord, according to John's account, Aug-
on seeing the multitude, asked Philip, tempting him, whence Evan^.'
they could buy food for them, it is difficult at first to see1-";0-
how it can be true, according to the other account, that the
disciples first told our Lord, to send away the multitude ;
and that our Lord replied, They need not depart; yive ye Matt.
them to eat. We must understand then it was after saying °'
this, that our Lord saw the multitude, and said to Philip
what John had related, which has been omitted by the rest.
Chrys. Or they are two different occasions altogether. Chrys.
Theophyl. Thus tried by our Lord, Philip was found to bexli™"'].
possessed with human notions, as appears from what follows,
Philip answered Hint, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is
71 ot sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a
little. Alcuin. Wherein he shews his dulness: for, had he
perfect ideas of his Creator, he would not be thus doubting
p 2
212 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
Aua- His power. Aug. The reply, which is attributed to Philip
Ev. n. by John, Mark puts in the mouth of all the disciples, either
",": c* meaning us to understand that Philip spoke for the rest, or
else putting the plural number for the singular, which is
often done. Theophyl. Andrew is in the same perplexity
that Philip is; only he has rather higher notions of our Lord:
There is a lad here which hath jive barley loaves and two
Chrys. small fishes. Chrys. Probably He had some reason in his
xlij^fl mind for this speech. He would know of Elijah's miracle, by
which a hundred men were fed with twenty loaves. This
was a great step ; but here he stopped. He did not rise
any higher. For his next words are, But what are these
among so many ? He thought that less could produce less
in a miracle, and more more ; a great mistake ; inasmuch as
it was as easy for Christ to feed the multitude from a few
fishes as from many. He did not really want any material
to work from, but only made use of created things for this
purpose in order to shew that no part of the creation was
severed from His wisdom. Theophyl. This passage con-
founds the Manicheans, who say that bread and all such
things were created by an evil Deity. The Son of the good
God, Jesus Christ, multiplied the loaves. Therefore they
could not have been naturally evil ; a good God would never
Aug. have multiplied what was evil. Aug. Andrew's suggestion
Evam?!' aD0Ut tne fiye loaves and two fishes, is given as coming from
ii.c.xlvi. the disciples in general, in the other Evangelists, and the
Chrys. plural number is used. Chrys. And let those of us, who
xliTll. are glven t0 pleasure, observe the plain and abstemious
eating of those great and wonderful men \ He made the
men sit down before the loaves appeared, to teach us that
with Him, things that are not are as things that are; as Paul
Rom. says, Who calleth those things that he not, as though they
^i l7, were. The passage proceeds then: And Jesus said, Make
the men sit down. Alcuin. Sit down, i. e. lie down, as the
ancient custom was, which they could do, as there was much
grass in the place. Theophyl. i. e. green grass. It was the
time of the Passover, which was kept the first month of the
spring. So the men sat down in number about Jive
thousand. The Evangelist only counts the men, following
b Alluding to the "five loaves and two fishes.
VER. 1 — 14. ST. JOHN. 213
the direction in the law, Moses numbered the people from
twenty years old and upwards, making no mention of the
women; to signify that the manly and juvenile character is
especially honourable in God's eyes. And Jesus took the
loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed0 to
them that were sat dozen : and likewise of the Jishes as
much as they would. Chrys. But why when He is going Chrys.
to heal the impotent, to raise the dead, to calm the sea, xij°m{i(
does He not pray, but here does give thanks ? To teach us
to give thanks to God, whenever we sit down to eat. And
He prays more in lesser matters, in order to shew that He
does not pray from any motive of need. For had prayer
been really necessary to supply His wants, His praying-
would have been in proportion to the importance of each
particular work. But acting, as He does, on His own
authority, it is evident, He only prays out of condescension
to us. And, as a great multitude was collected, it was an
opportunity of impressing on them, that His coming was in
accordance with God's will. Accordingly, when a miracle
was private, He did not pray; when numbers were present,
He did. Hilary. Five loaves are then set before the Hilar.
multitude, and broken. The broken portions pass through «i.«le
into the hands of those who break, that from which they arec. 18.
broken all the time not at all diminishing. And yet there
they are, the bits taken from it, in the hands of the persons
breaking d. There is no catching by eye or touch the
miraculous operation: that is, which was not, that is seen,
which is not understood. It only remains for us to believe
that God can do all things. Aug. He multiplied in His Aug.
hands the five loaves, just as He produces harvest out of a Tr-xxlv-
few grains. There was a power in the hands of Christ; and
those five loaves were, as it were, seeds, not indeed com-
mitted to the earth, but multiplied by Him who made the
earth, Chrys. Observe the difference between the servant chrjB.
and the lord. The Prophets received grace, as it were, by H°m-
c Vulgate omits, to the disciples, and not lost its portion ; meantime the heap
the disciples. of fragments increases ; those who
d Hilary literally. The operation break are engaged in supplying, those
escapes the sight; whilst you follow who eat in receiving, the hungry are
with your eyes one hand filled with satisfied; twelve baskets are filled with
fragments, you see that the other has what remains. Nic.
214 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
measure, and according to that measure performed their
miracles: whereas Christ, working this by His own absolute
power, produces a kind of superabundant result When
they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the
fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they
gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the
fragments, This was not done for needless ostentation, but
to prevent men from thinking the whole a delusion ; which
was the reason why He made use of an existing material to
work from. But why did He give the fragments to His
disciples to carry away, and not to the multitude ? Because
the disciples were to be the teachers of the world, and there-
fore it was most important that the truth should be impressed
upon them. Wherefore I admire not only the multitude of
the loaves which were made, but the definite quantity of the
fragments ; neither more nor less than twelve baskets full, and
corresponding to the number of the twelve Apostles. The-
ophyl. We learn too from this miracle, not to be pusillani-
mous in the greatest straits of poverty. Bede. When the
multitude saw the miracle our Lord had done, they mar-
velled ; as thev did not know vet that He was God. Then
those men, the Evangelist adds, i. e. carnal men, whose
understanding was carnal, when they had perceived the
miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet
that should come into the world. Alcuin. Their faith
being as yet weak, they only call our Lord a Prophet,
not knowing that He was God. But the miracle had pro-
duced considerable effect upon them, as it made them
call our Lord that Prophet, singling Him out from the
rest. They call Him a Prophet, because some of the
Prophets had worked miracles ; and properly, inasmuch as
Luke our Lord calls Himself a Prophet ; It cannot be that a
"a'.?3 prophet perish out of Jerusalem. Aug. Christ is a Prophet,
Tr.xxiv. and the Lord of Prophets ; as He is an Angel, and the Lord
s' '" of Angels. In that He came to announce something, He
was an Angel ; in that He foretold the future, He was a
Prophet; in that He was the Word made flesh, He was
Lord both of Angels and Prophets; for none can be a
Prophet without the word of God. Chrys. Their expres-
sion, that should come into the world, shews that they
VER. 1—14. ST. JOHN. 215
expected the arrival of some great Prophet. And this is
why they say, This is of a truth that Prophet : the article
being put in the Greek, to shew that He was distinct from
other Prophets. Aug. But let us reflect a little here. For- Aug.
asmuch as the Divine Substance is not visible to the eye, and s< { 2.'
the miracles of the divine government of the world, and
ordering of the whole creation, are overlooked in consequence
of their constancy ; God has reserved to Himself acts,
beside the established course and order of nature, to do at
suitable times ; in order that those who overlooked the daily
course of nature, might be roused to wonder by the sight of
what was different from, though not at all greater, than what
they were used to. The government of the world is a greater
miracle, than the satisfying the hunger of five thousand with
five loaves ; and yet no one wonders at this : the former
excited wonder; not from any real superiority in it, but
because it was uncommon. But it would be wrong to gather
no more than this from Christ's miracles : for, the Lord
who is on the mount6, and the Word of God which is on
high, the same is no humble person to be lightly passed
over, but we must look up to Him reverently. Alcuin.
Mystically, the sea signifies this tumultuous world. In the
fulness of time, when Christ had entered the sea of our
mortality by His birth, trodden it by His death, passed over
it by His resurrection f, then followed Him crowds of believers,
both from the Jews and Gentiles. Bede. Our Lord went
up to the mountain, when He ascended to heaven, which is
signified by the mountain. Alcuin. His leaving the multi-
tude below, and ascending the heights with His disciples,
signifies, that lesser precepts are to be given to beginners,
higher to the more matured. His refreshing the people
shortly before the Passover signifies our refreshment by the
bread of the divine word ; and the body and blood, i. e. our
spiritual passover, by which we pass over from vice to virtue.
And the Lord's eyes are spiritual gifts, which he mercifully
bestows on His Elect. He turns His eyes upon them, i. e.
has compassionate respect unto them. Aug. The five barley A ug\h.b-
. . . Ixxxni.
loaves signify the old law; either because the law wasQuaest.
given to men not as yet spiritual, but carnal, i. e. under the Jj.inc" \
e V. 15. departed into a mountain f V. 1. Jesus went over the sea of
Himself alone. Galilee.
216 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAT. VI.
dominion of the five senses, (the multitude itself consisted
of five thousand:) or because the Law itself was given by
Moses in five books. And the loaves being of barley is also
an allusion to the Law, which concealed the soul's vital
nourishment, under carnal ceremonies. For in barley the
corn itself is buried under the most tenacious husk. Or,
it alludes to the people who were not yet freed from the
Bede. husk of carnal appetite, which cling to their heart. Bede.
Luc. c!n Barley is the food of cattle and slaves : and the old law was
vi. given to slaves and cattle, i. e. to carnal men, Aug. The
Aug.lib. ° . ill
Ixxxiv. two fishes again, that gave the pleasant taste to the bread,
QU8^st' seem to signify the two authorities by which the people were
qu. 61. ° # • r r
governed, the Royal, viz. and the Priestly; both of which
prefigure our Lord, who sustained both characters. Bede.
Or, by the two fishes are meant the saying or writings of
the Prophets, and the Psalmist. And whereas the number
five refers to the five senses, a thousand stands for perfec-
tion. But those who strive to obtain the perfect government
of their five senses, are called men, in consequence of their
superior powers : they have no womanly weaknesses ; but by
a sober and chaste life, earn the sweet refreshment of heavenly
^ug- . wisdom. Aug. The boy who had these is perhaps the
1 I . XXI V*
5. Jewish people, who, as it were, carried the loaves and fishes
after a servile fashion, and did not eat them. That which
they carried, while shut up, was only a burden to them;
Bede. when opened became their food. Bede. And well is it
xxiv. 5. said, But what are these among so many? The Law was of
little avail, till He took it into His hand, i. e. fulfilled it,
Heb. 7, an(j gave it a spiritual meaning. The Law made nothing
Aug. perfect. Aug. By the act of breaking He multiplied the
Ti\xxiv. £ve ioaves# -phe five books of Moses, when expounded by
Aug.iib. breaking, i. e. unfolding them, made many books. Aug.
Quasi! Our Lord by breaking, as it were, what was hard in the
qu. 6J. Law, and opening what was shut, that time when He opened
the Scriptures to the disciples after the resurrection, brought
£u?- . the Law out in its full meaning. Aug. Our Lord's question
s. 5. proved the ignorance of His disciples, i. e. the people's igno-
rance of the Law. They lav on the grass, i. e. were carnally
6. ' minded, rested in carnal things, for all flesh is grass, Men
£u£- . are filled with the loaves, when what they hear with the ear, thev
s. 6. fulfil in practice. Aug. And what are the fragments, but the
VER. 15 21. ST. JOHN. 217
parts which the people could not eat ? An intimation, that
those deeper truths, which the multitude cannot take in,
should be entrusted to those who are capable of receiving
them, and afterwards teaching them to others; as were the
Apostles. For which reason twelve baskets were filled with
them. Alcuin. Baskets are used for servile work. The
baskets here are the Apostles and their followers, who,
though despised in this present life, are within filled with
the riches of spiritual sacraments. The Apostles too are
represented as baskets, because, that through them, the
doctrine of the Trinity was to be preached in the four parts
of the world. His not making new loaves, but multiplying
what there were, means that He did not reject the Old
Testament, but only developed and explained it.
15. When Jesus therefore perceived that they
would come and take him by force, to make him a
king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone.
16. And when even was now come, his disciples
went down unto the sea,
1 7. And entered into a ship, and went over the sea
toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus
was not come to them.
18. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind
that blew.
19. So when they had rowed about five and twenty
or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea,
and drawing nigh unto the ship : and they were
afraid.
20. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
21. Then they willingly received him into the ship :
and immediately the ship was at the land whither they
went.
Bede. The multitude concluding, from so great a miracle,
that He was merciful and powerful, wished to make
Him a king. For men like having a merciful king to rule
over them, and a powerful one to protect them. Our Lord
218 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
knowing this, retired to the mountain: When Jesus therefore
perceived that they would come and take Him by force to
make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Him-
self alone. From this we gather, that our Lord went clown
from the mountain before, where He was sitting with His
disciples, when He saw the multitude coming, and had fed
them on the plain below. For how could He go up to the
Aug. mountain again, unless He had come down from it. Aug.
de Con. ^jg ^s ilot at a]j inconsistent with what we read, that He
Ji,v. 11. 7
c. xivii. went up into a mountain apart to pray : the object of escape
23. ' 'being quite compatible with that of prayer. Indeed our
Lord teaches us here, that whenever escape is necessary,
Aug. there is great necessity for prayer. Aug. Yet He who feared
2 'to be made a king, was a king; not made king by men, (for
He ever reigneth with the Father, in that He is the Son of
God,) but making men kings: which kingdom of His the
Prophets had foretold. Christ by being made man, made
the believers in Him Christians, i. e. members of His king-
dom, incorporated and purchased by His Word. And this
kingdom will be made manifest, after the judgment ; when
the brightness of His saints shall be revealed. The dis-
ciples however, and the multitude who believed on Him,
thought that He had come to reign now; and so would have
taken Him by force, to make Him a king, wishing to anti-
Chrys. cjpate His time, which He kept secret. Chrys. See what
xlii.3. the belly can do. They care no more for the violation
of the Sabbath ; all their zeal for God is fled, now that
their bellies are filled : Christ has become a Prophet, and
they wish to enthrone Him as king. But Christ makes
His escape ; to teach us to despise the dignities of the
world. He dismisses His disciples, and goes up into
Hom. the mountain. — These, when their Master had left them,
went down in the evening to the sea; as we read; And
when even was now come, His disciples went down unto the
sea. They waited till evening, thinking He would come to
them ; and then, as He did not come, delayed no longer
searching for Him, but in the ardour of love, entered into a
ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. They went
™ug' to Capernaum thinking they should find Him there. Aug.
s. 5. The Evangelist now returns to explain why they wrent, and
VEU. 15 21. ST. JOHN. 219
relate what happened to them while they were crossing the
lake : And it was dark, he says, and Jesus was not come to
them. Chrys. The mention of the time is not accidental, Chrys.
but meant to shew the strength of their love. They did notxlii J#
make excuses, and say, It is evening now, and night is
coming on, but in the warmth of their love went into the
ship. And now many things alarm them: the time, Audit
was now dark ; and the weather, as we read next, And the
sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew; their distance
from land, So when they had rowed about Jive and tv:enty
or thirty furlongs. Bede. The way of speaking we use, Bede
when we are in doubt: about five and twentv, we say, ormv#
" 7 J 7 cap.
thirty. Chrys. And at last He appears quite unexpectedly: Joan.
They see Jesus walking upon the sea, drawing nigh. He Hom!'
reappears after His retirement, teaching them what it is to bexliii- *•
forsaken, and stirring them to greater love; His reappearance
manifesting His power. They were disturbed, were afraid,
it is said. Our Lord comforts them : But He saith unto them,
It is I, be not afraid. Bede. He does not say, I am Jesus, Bede
but only / am. He trusts to their easily recognising ajf^
voice, which was so familiar to them, or, as is more probable,
He shews that He was the same who said to Moses, 7a;^Exod.3,
14
that I am. Chrys. He appeared to them in this way, to shew chrys.
His power; for He immediately calmed the tempest: Then^.?l}u
they wished to receive Him into the ship; and immediately
the ship was at the land, whither they went. So great was
the calm, He did not even enter the ship, in order to work a
greater miracle, and to shew his Divinity more clearly s.
Theophyl. Observe the three miracles here; the first, His
walking on the sea; the second, His stilling the waves; the
third, His putting them immediately on shore, which they
were some distance off, when our Lord appeared. Chrys. Chrys.
Jesus does not shew Himself to the crowd walking on the xiiii."i.
sea, such a miracle being too much for them to hear. Nor
even to the disciples did He shew Himself long, but dis- ' Mat-
appeared immcditately . Aug„ Mark's l account does not con- ^Tin- "
tradict this. He says indeed that our Lord told the disciples andAug.
first to enter the ship, and go before Him over the sea, while Ev. l.ii!
He dismissed the crowds, and that when the crowd was^,xl,V11,
Mark
S %h\ov Xafiiiv ctbi o\> in the Greek : our translation, " they willingly received Him." 0, 45.
220 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
dismissed, He went up alone into the mountain to pray :
while John places His going up alone in the mountain first,
and then says, And when even was now come, His disciples
went down unto the sea. But it is easy to see that John
relates that as done afterwards by the disciples, which our
Lord had ordered before His departure to the mountain.
Chrys. Chrys. Or take another explanation. This miracle seems
xliii. i. to me to be a different one, from the one given in Matthew:
for there they do not receive Him into the ship immediately,
whereas here they do h : and there the storm lasts for some
time, whereas here as soon as He speaks, there is a calm.
He often repeats the same miracle in order to impress it on
Aug. men's minds. Aug. There is a mystical meaning in our
Jr 3*xv' Lord's feeding the multitude, and ascending the mountain:
et seq. for thus was it prophesied of Him, So shall the congregation
of the people come about Thee: for their sake therefore lift
up Thyself again: i. e. that the congregation of the people
may come about Thee, lift up Thyself again. But why is it
fled ; for they could not have detained Him against His
will? This fleeing has a meaning; viz. that His flight is
above our comprehension ; just as, when you do not under-
stand a thing, you say, It escapes me. He fled alone unto
the mountain, because He is ascended from above all heavens.
But on His ascension aloft a storm came upon the disciples in
the ship, i. e. the Church, and it became dark, the light, i. e.
Jesus, having gone. As the end of the world draws nigh,
error increases, iniquity abounds. Light again is love, ac-
1 John cording to John, He that hateth his brother is hi darkness,
2 9.
The waves and storms and winds then that agitate the ship,
are the clamours of the evil speaking, and love waxing cold.
Howbeit the wind, and storm, and waves, and darkness were
Matt. not able to stop, and sink the vessel ; For he that endureth
10 22.
to the end, the same shall he saved. As the number five
has reference to the Lawr, the books of Moses being five, the
number five and twenty, being made up of five pieces, has
the same meaning. And this law was imperfect, before the
Gospel came. Now the number of perfection is six, so
therefore five is multiplied by six, which makes thirty: i. e.
h So in the Catena. ButChrysostom, to be in doubt longer in St. Matthew
Why did not they at once receive whether it was our Lord,
this ? alluding to the disciples seeming
ver. 22 — 27. ST. johx. 221
the law is fulfilled by the Gospel. To those then who fulfil
the law Jesus comes treading on the waves, i. e. trampling
under foot all the swellings of the world, all the loftiness of
men: and yet such tribulations remain, that even they who
believe on Jesus, fear lest they should be lost. Theophyl.
When either men or devils try to terrify us, let us hear
Christ saying, It is /, be not afraid, i. e. I am ever near you,
God unchangeable, immoveable ; let not any false fears
destroy your faith in Me. Observe too our Lord did not
come when the danger was beginning, but when it was
ending. He suffers us to remain in the midst of dangers
and tribulations, that we may be proved thereby, and flee for
succour to Him Who is able to give us deliverance when we
least expect it. When man's understanding can no longer
help him, then the Divine deliverance comes. If we are
willing also to receive Christ into the ship, i. e. to live in
our hearts, we shall find ourselves immediately in the place,
where we wish to be, i. e. heaven. Bede. This ship, however,
does not carry an idle crew; they are all stout rowers; i. e.
in the Church not the idle and effeminate, but the stre-
nuous and persevering in good works, attain to the harbour
of everlasting salvation.
22. The day following, when the people which stood
on the other side of the sea saw that there was none
other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples
were entered, and that Jesus went not with his dis-
ciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone
away alone; %
23. (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias
nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after
that the Lord had given thanks:)
24. When the people therefore saw that Jesus was
not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping,
and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
25. And when they had found him on the other
side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when
earnest thou hither?
*22*2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
26. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, 1
say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the
miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and
were filled.
27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but
for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life,
which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him
hath God the Father sealed.
Chrys. Chrys. Our Lord, though He did not actually shew Him-
xll°|n'2 self to the multitude walking on the sea, yet gave them the
opportunity of inferring what had taken place ; The day
following, the people which stood on the other side oj the sea
saw that there was none other boat there, save that one
whereinto His disciples were entered, and, that Jesus went
not with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples
were gone away alone. What was this but to suspect that
He had walked across the sea, on His going away ? For He
could not have gone over in a ship, as there was only one
there, that in which His disciples had entered ; and He had
Aug. not gone in with them. Aug. Knowledge of the miracle was
8 ,xvu conveyed to them indirectly. Other ships had come to the
place where they had eaten bread ; in these they went after
Him ; Howbeil there came other boats from Tiberias, nigh
unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord
had given thanks. When the people therefore saw that
Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took
shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
Chrys. Chrys. .Yet after so great a miracle, they did not ask Him
xliii. l. how He had passed over, or shew any concern about it : as
appears from what follows ; And when they had found Him
on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, Rabbi,
when earnest Thou hither? Except we say that this when
meant how. And observe their lightness of mind. After
saying, This is that Prophet, and wishing to take Him by
force to make Him king, when they find Him, nothing of
Aug. the kind is thought of. Aug. So He Who had fled to the
I 7* 3C"X"V
8. ' ' mountain, mixes and converses with the multitude. Only
just now they would have kept Him, and made Him king.
ver. 22— 27. st. john. 223
But after the sacrament of the miracle, He begins to dis-
course, and fills their souls with His word, whose bodies He
had satisfied with bread. Alcuin. 'l He who set an example
of declining praise, and earthly power, sets teachers also an
example of deliverance in preaching. Chrys. Kindness Chrys.
and lenity are not always expedient. To the indolent orxli°^'1#
insensible disciple the spur must be applied ; and this the
Son of God does. For when the multitude comes with soft
speeches, Rabbi, when earnest Thou hither? He shews them
that He did not desire the honour that cometh from man, by
the severity of His answer, which both exposes the motive on
which they acted, and rebukes it. Jesus answered them and
said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because
ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and
ic ere filled. Aug. As if He said, Ye seek Me to satisfy the Aug.
flesh, not the spirit. Chrys. After the rebuke, however, He 10>'
proceeds to teach them : Labour not for the meat which Chrys.
perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting xliv. 1.
life; * meaning, Ye seek for temporal food, whereas I only
fed your bodies, that ye might seek the more diligently for
that food, which is not temporary, but contains eternal life.
Alcuin. Bodily food only supports the flesh of the outward
man, and must be taken not once for all, but daily ; whereas
spiritual food remaineth for ever, imparting perpetual fulness,
and immortality. Aug. Under the figure of food He alludes Aug,
to Himself. Ye seek Me, He saith, for the sake of some- 10r'
thing else ; seek Me for My own sake. Chrys. But, inas- Chrys.
much as some who wish to live in sloth, pervert this precept, xliv. i.
Labour not, S$c. it is well to notice what Paul says, Let him Ephes.
4 28
that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, icorking '
with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to
give to him that needeth. And he himself too, when he
resided with Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth, worked
with his hand. By saying, Labour not for the meat which
perisheth, our Lord does not mean to tell us to be idle; but
to work, and give alms. This is that meat which perisheth
not; to labour for the meat which perisheth, is to be devoted
to the interests of this life. Our Lord saw that the multitude
had no thought of believing, and only wished to fill their
» Not found in Alcuin, but in a Gloss.
224 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
bellies, without working; and this He justly called the meat
T^'xv which perisheth. Aug. As He told the woman of Samaria
10« above, If thou knewest Who it is that saith to thee, Give me
c'4, to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would
have given thee living water. So He says here, Which the
Son of man shall give unto you. Alcuin. When, through
the hand of the priest, thou receivest the Body of Christ,
think not of the priest which thou seest, but of the Priest
thou dost not see. The priest is the dispenser of this food,
not the author. The Son of man gives Himself to us, that
we may abide in Him, and He in us. Do not conceive that
Son of man to be the same as other sons of men: He
stands alone in abundance of grace, separate and distinct
from all the rest: for that Son of man is the Son of God, as
it follows, For Him hath God the Father sealed. To seal is
to put a mark upon; so the meaning is, Do not despise Me
because I am the Son of man, for I am the Son of man in
such sort, as that the Father hath sealed Me, i. e. given Me
something peculiar, to the end that I should not be con-
founded with the human race, but that the human race should
Hilar, be delivered by Me. Hilary. A seal throws out a perfect
Tri'n. c. impression of the stamp, at the same time that it takes in
44- that impression. This is not a perfect illustration of the
Divine nativity: for sealing supposes matter, different kinds
of matter, the impression of harder upon softer. Yet He
who was God Only-Begotten, and the Son of man only by
the Sacrament of our salvation, makes use of it to express
the Father's fulness as stamped upon Himself. He wishes to
shew the Jews He has the power of giving the eternal meat,
Chrys. because He contained in Himself the fulness of God. Chrys.
xliv. 1. Or sealed, i. e. sent Him for this purpose, viz. to bring us
food; or, sealed, was revealed the Gospel by means of His
witness. Alcuin. To take the passage mystically: on the
day following, i. e. after the ascension of Christ, the multitude
standing in good works, not lying in worldly pleasures,
expects Jesus to come to them. The one ship is the one
Church : the other ships which come besides, are the con-
Phil. 2 venticles of heretics, who seek their own, not the things of
21- Jesus Christ. Wherefore He well says, Ye seek Me, because
Tr.xxv.ye did eat of the loaves. Aug. How many there are who
10.
ver. 28 — 34. ST. john. 225
seek Jesus, only to gain some temporary benefit. One man
has a matter of business, in which lie wants the assistance
of the clergy; another is oppressed by a more powerful
neighbour, and flies to the Church for refuge: Jesus is scarcely
ever sought for Jesus' sake. Greg. Tn their persons too Greg.
our Lord condemns all those within the holy Church, who,'^1"^
when brought near to God by sacred Orders, do not seek the(c-xxv)
recompense of righteousness, but the interests of this present
life. To follow our Lord, when filled with bread, is to use
Holv Church as a means of livelihood; and to seek our Lord
not for the miracle's sake, but for the loaves, is to aspire to
a religious office, not with a view to increase of grace, but to
add to our worldly means. Bede. They too seek Jesus, not
for Jesus' sake, but for something else, who ask in their
prayers not for eternal, but temporal blessings. The mystical
meaning is, that the conventicles of heretics are without the
company of Christ and His disciples. And other ships coming,
is the sudden growth of heresies* By the crowd, which saw
that Jesus was not there, or His disciples, are designated
those who seeing the errors of heretics, leave them and turn
to the true faith.
28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do,
that we might work the works of God ?
29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the
work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent.
30. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest
thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what
dost thou work?
31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it
is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32. Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven ; but my Father giveth you the true bread from
heaven.
33. For the bread of God is he which cometh down
from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Q
226 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. Vl.
34. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give
us this bread.
Alcuin. They understood that the meat, which remaineth
unto eternal life, was the work of God: and therefore they
ask Hirn what to do to work the work of God, i. e. obtain
the meat: Then said they unto Him, What shall we do that
ice might work the works of God? Bede. i. e. By keeping
what commandments shall we be able to fulfil the law of God?
Chrys. Chrys. But they said this, not that they might learn, and do
xlv [m them, but to obtain from Him another exhibition of His
bounty. Theophyl. Christ, though He saw it would not
avail, yet for the good of others afterwards, answered their
question; and shewed them, or rather the whole world, what
was the work of God : Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He
Aug. hath sent. Aug. He does not say, That ye believe Him,
in Joauihut, that ye believe on Him. For the devils believed Him,
and did not believe on Him; and we believe Paul, but do
not believe on Paul. To believe on Him is believing to
love, believing to honour Him, believing to go unto Him,
and be made members incorporate of His Body. The faith,
which God requires of us, is that which worketh by love.
Faith indeed is distinguished from works by the Apostle,
Rom. 3, who says, That man is justified by faith without the deeds
of the law. But the works indeed which appear good,
without faith in Christ, are not really so, not being referred
Rom. to that end, which makes them good. For Christ is the end
' ' of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
And therefore our Lord would not separate faith from works,
but said that faith itself was the doing the work of God;
He saith not, This is your work, but, This is the work of
God, that ye believe on Him: in order that he that glorieth
Aug. might glory in the Lord. Aug. To eat then that meat which
xxv* 12,endureth unto everlasting life, is to believe on Him. Why
dost thou make ready thy tooth and thy belly? Only believe,
and thou hast eaten already. As He called on them to
believe, they still asked for miracles whereby to believe;
They said therefore unto Him, What sign shewest Thou then,
that we may see and believe Thee? What dost Thou work?
VER. 28 — 34. st. johx. 2*27
Chrys. Nothing can be more unreasonable than their asking Chrys.
TT
for another miracle, as if none had been given already. And -xw^i.
they do not even leave the choice of the miracle to our Lord;
but would oblige Him to give them just that sign, which was
given to their fathers: Our fathers did eat manna in the
desert. Alcuin. And to exalt the miracle of the manna,
they quote the Psalm, As it is written, He gave them bread
from heaven to eat. Chrys. Whereas rnanv miracles were Chrys.
TT
performed in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the desert, they j°m{
remembered this one the best of any. Such is the force of
appetite. They do not mention this miracle as the work
either of God, or of Moses, in order to avoid raising Him on
the one hand to an equality with God, or lowering Him on the
other by a comparison with Moses; but they take a middle
ground, only saying, Our fathers did eat manna in the
desert. Aug. Or thus; Our Lord sets Himself above Moses, Aug.
who did not dare to say that He gave the meat which perish eth s j2<
not. The multitude therefore remembering what Moses had
done, and wishing for some greater miracle, say, as it were,
Thou promisest the meat which perisheth not, and doest not
works equal to those Moses did. He gave us not barley
loaves, but manna from heaven. Chrys. Our Lord might Chrys.
have replied, that He had done miracles greater than Moses: xx°™^
but it was not the time for such a declaration. One thing
He desired, viz. to bring them to taste the spiritual meat:
then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father
giveth you the true bread from heaven. Did not the manna
come from heaven? True, but in what sense did it? The
same in which the birds are called, the birds of heaven k;
and just as it is said in the Psalm, The Lord thundered out Ps. 17.
of heaven. He calls it the true bread, not because the
miracle of the manna was false, but because it was the
figure, not the reality. He does not say too, Moses gave it
you not, but I: but He puts God for Moses, Himself for
the manna. Aug. As if He said, That manna was the type Aug.
of this food, of which I just now spoke; and which all my31r,xx
miracles refer to, You like my miracles, you despise what
is signified by them. This bread which God gives, and
k Volucre.i creli, Vulgate translation of fowls of the air.
Q 2
228 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
which this manna represented, is the Lord Jesus Christ, as we
read next, For the bread of God is He which cometh down
from heaven, andgiveth life unto the world. Bede. Not to the
physical world, but to men, its inhabitants. Theophyl. He
calls Himself the true bread, because the only-begotten Son
of God, made man, was principally signified by the manna.
For manna means literally, what is this ? The Israelites were
astonished at first on finding it, and asked one another what
it was. And the Son of God, made man, is in an especial
sense this mysterious manna, which we ask about, saying,
What is this ? How can the Son of God be the Son of man ?
How can one person consist of two natures? Alcuix. Who
by the humanity, which was assumed, came down from
heaven, and by the divinity, which assumed it, gives life to
the w^orld. Theophyl. But this bread, being essentially
life, (for He is the Son of the living Father,) in quickening
all things, does but what is natural to Him to do. For as
natural bread supports our weak flesh, so Christ, by the
operations of the Spirit, gives life to the soul; and even in-
corruption to the body, (for at the resurrection the body will
be made incorruptible.) Wherefore He says, that He giveth
Chrjs. life unto the world. Chrys. Not only to the Jews, but to
xl°mj. the whole world. The multitude, however, still attached a
low meaning to His words: Then said they unto Him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. They say, Give its this bread,
not, Ask Thy Father to give it us : whereas He had said that
Aug. His Father gave this bread. Aug. As the woman of Samaria,
Tr. xxv. when our Lord told her, Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall never thirst, thought He meant natural water, and said,
Sir, give me this water, that she might never be in want of it
again : in the same way these say, Give us this bread, which
refreshes, supports, and fails not.
35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of
life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and
he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen
me, and believe not.
ver. 35 — 40. 0 st. johx. 229
37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine
own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39. And this is the Father's will which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day.
40. And this is the will of him that sent me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and belie veth on him,
may have everlasting life : and I will raise him up at
the last day.
Chrys. Our Lord now proceeds to set forth mysteries ; Chrys.
and first speaks of His Divinity: And Jesus said unto them, xlv %
I am the bread of life. He does not say this of His body,
for He speaks of that at the end ; The bread that I will give
you is My flesh. Here He is speaking of His Divinity. The
flesh is bread, by virtue of the Word; this bread is heavenly
bread, on account of the Spirit which dwelleth in it. Theo-
phyl. He does not say, I am the bread of nourishment, but
of life, for, whereas all things brought death, Christ hath
quickened us by Himself. But the life here, is not our
common life, but that which is not cut short by death : He
that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and He that
believeth on Me shall never thirst. Aug. He I hat cometh Aug.
rp
to Me, i. e. that believeth on Me, shall never hunger,^
has the same meaning as shall never thirst; both signi-
fying that eternal society, where there is no want. Theo-
phyl. Or, shall never hunger or thirst, i. e. shall never
be wearied1 of hearing the word of God, and shall never inon
thirst as to the understanding: as though He had not the£amem
. . feret ac-
water of baptism, and the sanctification of the Spirit. Aua.cipiendi
Ye desire bread from heaven : but, though you have it before ^J10"
you, you eat it not. This is what I told you: But I said u?ito Aug.
you, Utat ye also have seen Me, and believe not. Alcuin. 14,' '
As if He said, I did not say what I did to you about the
bread, because I thought you would eat it, but rather to
230 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
convict you of unbelief. I say, that ye see Me, and believe
Chrys. not. Chrys. Or, I said to you, refers to the testimony of the
xliv.2. Scriptures, of which He said above, They are they which
c.o. testify of Me ; and again, I am come in My Fathers name,
and ye receive Me not. That ye have seen Me, is a silent
Aug. allusion to His miracles. Aug. But, because ye have seen
14#' 'Me, and believed not, I have not therefore lost the people of
God: All that the Father giveth Me, shall come unto Me ;
and him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out, Bede.
All, He saith, absolutely, to shew the fulness of the number
who should believe. These are they which the Father gives
the Son, when, by His secret inspiration, He makes them
believe in the Son. Alcuin. Whomsoever therefore the
Father draweth to belief in Me, he, by faith, shall come to
Me, that he may be joined to Me. And those, who in the steps
of faith and good works, shall come to Me, I will in no wise
cast out ; i. e. in the secret habitation of a pure conscience,
he shall dwell with Me, and at the last I will receive him to
Aug- everlasting felicity. Aug. That inner place, whence there is
Tr. xxv. . ill
14. no casting out, is a great sanctuary, a secret chamber, where
is, neither weariness, or the bitterness of evil thoughts, or the
Mat. 25. cross of pain and temptation: of which it is said, Enter thou
Chrys. into the joy of thy Lord. Chrys. The expression, that the
xlh^i Father giveth Me, shews that it is no accident whether a
man believes or not, and that belief is not the work of human
cogitation, but requires a revelation from on high, and a
mind devout enough to receive the revelation. Not that they
are free from blame, whom the Father does not give, for
they are deficient even in that which lies in their own power,
the will to believe. This is a virtual rebuke to their unbelief,
as it shews that whoever does not believe in Him, transgresses
the Father's will. Paul, however, says, that He gives them
l Cor. up to the Father: When He shall have given up the kingdom
to God, even the Father. But as the Father, in giving, does
not take from Himself, so neither does the Son when He
gives up. The Son is said to give up to the Father, because
we are brought to the Father by Him. And of the Father at
l Cor. l, the same time we read, By Whom ye were called unto the
fellowship of His Son. Whoever then, our Lord says,
cometh to Me, shall be saved, for to save such 1 took up
VER. 35 — 40. ST. JOHN. 231
flesh: For I came down from heaven not to do Mine own
will, but the will of Him that sent Me. But what? Hast
thou one will, He another? No, certainly. Mark what He
says afterwards; And this is the will of Him that sent 31e,
that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him,
should have everlasting life. And this is the Son's will too ;
For the Son quickeneth whom He will. He says then, I c. 6, 21.
came to do nothing but what the Father wills, for I have no
will distinct from My Father's: all things that the Father
hath are Mine. But this not now : He reserves these
higher truths for the end of His ministry. Aug. This is the Aug.
reason why He does not cast out those who come to Him. \5'
For I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will, but
the will of Him thai sent Me. The soul departed from God,
because it was proud. Pride casts us out, humility restores
us. When a physician in the treatment of a disease, cures
certain outward symptoms, but not the cause which produces
them, his cure is only temporary. So long as the cause
remains, the disease may return. That the cause then of all
diseases, i. e. pride, might be eradicated, the Son of God
humbled Himself. Why art thou proud, O man? The Son
of God humbled Himself for thee. It might shame thee,
perhaps, to imitate a humble man; but imitate at least a
humble God. And this is the proof of His humility: / came
not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.
Pride does its own will; humility the will of God. Hilary. Hilar.
Not that He does what He does not wish. He fulfils ^\^e
obediently His Father's will, wishing also Himself to fulfil c._9.
that will. Aug. For this very reason therefore, I will not cast ^Ug.
out Him that cometh to Me; because I came not to do Mine Tr. xxv
own will. I came to teach humility, by being humble1^.
Myself. He that cometh to Me, is made a member of Me,
and necessarily humble, because He will not do His own
will, but the will of God ; and therefore is not cast out. He
was cast out, as proud; he returns to Me humble, he is not
sent away, except for pride again; he who keeps his humility,
falleth not from the truth. And further, that He does not
cast out such, because He came not to do His will, He shews
when He says, And this is the Father's will which hath sent
232 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI
Me, that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose
Mat. 18, nothing. Every one of an humble mind is given to Him: It
u* is not the will of your Father, that one of these little ones should
perish. The swelling ones may perish ; of the little ones none
Mat. 18, can ; for except ye he as a little child, ye shall not enter into
A*u ' the kingdom of heaven. Aug. They therefore who by God's
ds Cor. unerring providence are foreknown, and predestined, called,
tia,c.ix. justified, glorified, even before their new birth, or before
they are born at all, are already the sons of God, and cannot
possibly perish ; these are they who truly come to Christ.
By Him there is given also perseverance in good unto the
end ; which is given only to those who will not perish.
Chrys. Those who do not persevere will perish. Chrys. I should
xliv. 3. tose nothing; He lets them know, he does not desire his own
honour, but their salvation. After these declarations, I will
in no wise cast out, and / should lose nothing, He adds,
But should raise it up at the last day. In the general
resurrection the wicked will be cast out, according to Matthew,
Mat. 22, Take him, and cast him into outer darkness. And, Who is
13.
Mat. 10, able to cast both soul and body into hell. He often brings
23, in mention of the resurrection for this purpose: viz. to warn
men not to judge of God's providence from present events,
£US- but to carry on their ideas to another world. Aug. See how
Tr. xxv. J
19. the twofold resurrection is expressed here. He who cometh
to Me, shall forthwith rise again ; by becoming humble, and
a member of Me. But then He proceeds; But J will raise
him up at the last day. To explain the words, All that the
Father hath given Me, and, 1 should lose nothing, He
adds; And this is the will of Him that hath, sent Me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and belicveth on Him,may hare
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
c 5, 24. Above He said, Whoso heareih My word, and belie vet h on Him
that sent Me : now it is, Every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on Him. He does not say, believe on the Father,
because it is the same thing to believe on the Father, and on
the Son ; for as the Father hath life in Himself even so hath
He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and again, That
whoso seeth the Son and believeth on Him, should have ever-
lasting life ; i. e. by believing, by passing over to life, as at
VER. 41 — 46. ST. JOHN. 233
the first resurrection. But this is only the first resurrection,
He alludes to the second when He says, And I will raise
him up at the last day.
41. The Jews then murmured at him, because he
said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of
Joseph, whose father and mother we know ? how is it
then that he saith, I came down from heaven ?
43. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them,
Murmur not among vourselves.
44. No man can come to me, except the Father
which hath sent me draw him : and I will raise him up
at the last day.
45. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be
all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto
me.
46. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save
he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
Chrys. The Jews, so long as they thought to get food for Chrys.
XT
their carnal eating, had no misgivings ; but when this hope xlvi j
was taken away, then, we read, the Jews murmured at Him
because He said, I am the bread which came down from
heaven. This was only a pretence. The real cause of their
complaint was that they were disappointed in their expecta-
tion of a bodily feast. As yet however they reverenced Him,
for His miracle ; and only expressed their discontent by
murmurs. What these were we read next: And they said,
Is not this Jesus, the Son of Joseph, whose father and mother
we know? how is it then that He saith, I came down from
heaven ? Aug. But thev were far from being: fit for that au<t.
heavenly bread, and did not hunger for it. For they had * r,XXV1,
not that hunger of the inner man. Chrys. It is evident Chrys.
that they did not yet know of His miraculous birth : for they ^™\
call Him the Son of Joseph. Nor are they blamed for this.
Our Lord does not reply, I am not the Son of Joseph : for
the miracle of His birth would have overpowered them.
'234 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
And if the birth according to the flesh were above their
belief, how much more that higher and ineffable birth.
Aug. Aug. He took man's flesh upon Him, but not after the
T^ r xxvi
'manner of men; for, His Father being in heaven. He chose
a mother upon earth, and was born of her without a father.
The answer to the murmurers next follows : Jesus therefore
answered and said unto them, Murmur not among your-
selves ; as if to say, I know why ye hunger not after this
bread, and so cannot understand it, and do not seek it : JVo
man can come to Me except the Father who hath sent Me
draw him. This is the doctrine of grace: none cometh,
except he be drawn. But whom the Father draws, and
whom not, and why He draws one, and not another, presume
not to decide, if thou wouldest avoid falling into error. Take
the doctrine as it is given thee : and, if thou art not drawn,
Chrys. pray that thou mayest be. Chrys. But here the Manichees
xlvi.'i. attack us, asserting that nothing is in our own power. Our
Lord's words however do not destroy our free agency, but
only shew that we need Divine assistance. For He is speak-
ing not of one who comes without the concurrence of his
own will, but one who has many hindrances in the way of his
Aug. coming. Aug. Now if we are drawn to Christ without our
J. r»\ XVI.
2. et sq. own will, we believe without our own will ; the will is not
exercised, but compulsion is applied. But, though a man
can enter the Church involuntarily, he cannot believe other
than voluntarily; for with the heart man believeth unto righ-
teousness. Therefore if he who is drawn, comes without his
will, he does not believe ; if he does not believe, he does
not come. For we do not come to Christ, by running, or
walking, but by believing, not by the motion of the body, but
the will of the mind. Thou art drawn by thy will. But what
Ps. 36. is it to be drawn by the will? Delight thou in the Lord, and
He will give thee thy heart's desire. There is a certain
craving of the heart, to which that heavenly bread is pleasant.
If the Poet could say, " Trahit sua quemque voluptas," how
much more strongly may we speak of a man being drawn to
Christ, i.e. being delighted with truth, happiness, justice,
eternal life, all which is Christ? Have the bodily senses
their pleasures, and has not the soul hers ? Give me one
oves. who longs, who burns, who sighs for the source of
<^ of mm-p
^
VEtt. 41 46. ST. JOHN. 235
his being and his eternal home ; and he will know what I
mean. But why did He say, Except my Father draw him ?
If we are to be drawn, let us be drawn by Him to whom
His love saith, Draw me, we will run after Thee. But Cant, l,
let us see what is meant by it. The Father draws to the
Son those who believe on the Son, as thinking that He has
God for His Father. For the Father begat the Son equal to
Himself; and whoso thinks and believes really and seriously
that He on Whom He believes is equal to the Father, him the
Father draws to the Son. Arius believed Him to be a
creature ; the Father drew not him. Thomas says, Christ is
only a man. Because he so believes, the Father draws him
not. He drew Peter who said, Thou art the Christ, the So?i Ma.t.16.
of the living God; to whom accordingly it was told, For flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which
is in heaven. That revelation is the drawing. For if earthly
objects, when put before us, draw us; how much more shall
Christ,when revealed by the Father ? For what doth the soul more
long after than truth ? But here men hunger, there they will be
filled. Wherefore He adds, And I will raise him up at the last
day : as if He said, He shall be filled with that, for which
he now thirsts, at the resurrection of the dead; for I will
raise him up. Aug. Or the Father draws to the Son, by the Aug. de
works which He did by Him. Chrys. Great indeed is the etUye°#v'
Son's dignity; the Father draws men, and the Son raises them Chrys.
up. This is no division of works, but an equality of power, xl°jmj
He then shews the way in which the Father draws. It is
written in the Prophets, And they shall all be taught of
God. You see the excellence of faith ; that it cannot be
learnt from men, or by the teaching of man, but only from
God Himself. The Master sits, dispensing His truth to all,
pouring out His doctrine to all. But if all are to be taught
of God, how is it that some believe not ? Because all here
only means the generality, or, all that have the will. Aug. Au,r
Or thus; When a schoolmaster is the only one in a town, wede PrfC"
say loosely, This man teaches all here to read; not that allsancto-
learn of him, but that he teaches all who do learn. And inrum.'..
7 0. "Villi
the same way we say that God teaches all men to come to Au<r
Christ: not that all do come, but that no one comes in any super
other way. Aug. All the men of that kingdom shall bexr.xxr.
236 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
taught of God ; they shall hear nothing from men : for,
though in this world what they hear with the outward ear is
from men, yet what they understand is given them from
within; from within is light and revelation. I force certain
sounds into your ears, but unless He is within to reveal
their meaning, how, O ye Jews, can ye acknowledge Me, ye
whom the Father hath not taught? Bede. He uses the
plural, In the Prophets, because all the Prophets being filled
with one and the same spirit, their prophecies, though dif-
ferent, all tended to the same end ; and with whatever any
one of them says, all the rest agree ; as with the prophecy of
Joel 2, Joel, All shall be taught of God. Gloss. These words are
Quia de- not found in Joel, but something like them; Be glad then
Jit .nobis ye children of Sion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for
rem jus- He hath given you a Teacher. And more expressly in Isaiah,
^jj* And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord. Chrys.
Isa. 54, An important distinction. All men before learnt the things of
Chrys. God through men; now they learn them through the Only
Hop- Son of God, and the Holy Spirit. Aug. All that are taught
Aug. of God come to the Son, because they have heard and learnt
dePrae-frorn tjie Father 0f the Son: wherefore He proceeds, Every
Sancto- man that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh
cU™iii t° ^e- But if every one that hath heard and learnt of the
et seq. Father cometh, every one that hath not heard of the Father
hath not learnt. For beyond the reach of the bodily senses
is this school, in which the Father is heard, and men taught
to come to the Son. Here we have not to do with the carnal
ear, but the ear of the heart; for here is the Son Himself,
the Word by which the Father teacheth, and together with
Him the Holy Spirit : the operations of the three Persons
being inseparable from each other. This is attributed how-
ever principally to the Father, because from Him proceeds
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore the grace which
the Divine bounty imparts in secret to men's hearts, is
rejected by none from hardness of heart: seeing it is given
in the first instance, in order to take away hard-heartedness.
Why then does He not teach all to come to Christ? Because
those whom He teaches, He teaches in mercy; and those
whom He teaches not, He teaches not in judgment. But if
we say, that those, whom He teaches not, wish to learn, we
VER. 47 51. ST. JOHN. 237
shall be answered, Why then is it said, Wilt thou not turn Ps.84,G.
again, and quicken us ? If God does not make willing minds
out of unwilling, why prayeth the Church, according to our
Lord's command, for her persecutors ? For no one can say,
I believed, and therefore He called me : rather the prevent-
*?•
ing mercy of God called him, that he might believe. Aug. Au<
Behold then how the Father draweth ; not by laying a neces- ^ et
sity on man, but by teaching the truth. To draw, belongethseci-
to God : Every one that hath heard, and hath learned of the
Father, cometh to Me. What then ? Hath Christ taught
nothing ? Not so. What if men saw not the Father teach-
ing, but saw the Son. So then the Father taught, the Son
spoke. As I teach you by My word, so the Father teaches
by His AVord. Bat He Himself explains the matter, if we
read on : Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He
which is of God, He hath seen the Father ; as if He said,
Do not when I tell you, Every man that hath heard and
learnt of the Father^ say to yourselves, We have never seen
the Father, and how then can we have learnt from Him ?
Hear Him then in Me. I know the Father, and am from Him,
just as a word is from him who speaks it ; i. e. not the mere
passing sound, but that which remaineth with the speaker,
and draweth the hearer. Chrys. Wre are all from God. Chrys.
That which belongs peculiarly and principally to the Son, xlvi.a.l.
He omits the mention of, as being unsuitable to the weakness
of His hearers.
47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth
on me hath everlasting life.
48. I am that bread of life.
49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness,
and are dead.
50. This is the bread which cometh down from
heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51. I am the living bread which came down from
heaven : if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for
ever.
Aug.
Aug. Our Lord wishes to reveal what He is; Verily, verily Tr-"vi-
J' y* s. 10.
•238 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
/ say unto you, He that believeth on 3fe, hath everlasting
life. As if He said; He that believeth on Me hath Me: but
what is it to have Me? It is to have eternal life : for the
Word which was in the beginning with God is life eternal,
and the life was the light of men. Life underwent death,
Chrys. that life might kill death. Chrys. The multitude being
(Nic.) . . . .
Thco'ph. urgent for bodily food, and reminding Him of that which
was given to their fathers, He tells them that the manna
was only a type of that spiritual food which was now to be
ChlT5' tasted in reality, lam that bread of life. Chrys. He calls
xlv. i. Himself the bread of life, because He constitutes one life,
Aug. both present, and to come. Aug. And because they had
Tr.xxvi
11. 'taunted Him with the manna, He adds, Your fathers did
eat manna in the icilderness, and are dead. Your fathers
they are, for ye are like them ; murmuring sons of murmur-
ing fathers. For in nothing did that people offend God
more, than by their murmurs against Him. And therefore
are they dead, because what they saw they believed, what
Chrys. they did not see they believed not, nor understood. Chrys.
TT •/ «/ '
xlvi.*2. The addition, In the wilderness, is not put in without mean-
ing, but to remind them how short a time the manna lasted ;
only till the entrance into the land of promise. And because
the bread which Christ gave seemed inferior to the manna,
in that the latter had come down from heaven, while the
former was of this world, He adds, This is the bread which
Aug. cometh down from heaven. Aug. This was the bread the
Ti\xxvi.manna typified, this was the bread the altar typified. Both
the one and the other were sacraments, differing in symbol,
l Cor. alike in the thing signified. Hear the Apostle, They did all
ct[rvs eat the same spiritual meat. Chrys. He then gives them
Horn, a strong reason for believing that they were given for higher
privileges than their fathers. Their fathers eat manna and
were dead ; whereas of this bread He says, that a man may
eat thereof, and not die. The difference of the two is evident
from the difference of their ends. By bread here is meant
wholesome doctrine, and faith in Him, or His body: for these
Aug. are the preservatives of the soul. Aug. But are we, who eat
Tr.xxvi.the bread that cometh down froin heaven, relieved from death?
From visible and carnal death, the death of the body, we are
not: we shall die, even as they died. But from spiritual
VER, 51. ST. JOHN. 289
death which their fathers suffered, we are delivered. Moses
and many acceptable of God, eat the manna, and died not,
because they understood that visible food in a spiritual
sense, spiritually tasted it, and were spiritually filled with it.
And we too at this day receive the visible food; but the
Sacrament is one thing, the virtue of the Sacrament another.
Many a one receiveth from the Altar, and perisheth in
receiving; eating and drinking his own damnation, as saith 1 Cor.
the Apostle. To eat then the heavenly bread spiritually, is11'29,
to bring to the Altar an innocent mind. Sins, though they
be daily, are not deadly. Before you go to the Altar,
attend to the prayer you repeat : Forgive us our debts, as we Matt. 6,
forgive our debtors. If thou forgivest, thou art forgiven : 12#
approach confidently; it is bread, not poison. None then
that eateth of this bread, shall die. But we speak of the
virtue of the Sacrament, not the visible Sacrament itself; of
the inward, not of the outward eater. Alcuin. Therefore I
say, He that eateth this bread, dieth not : / am the living
bread which came down from heaven. Theophyl. ByTheoph.
becoming incarnate, He was not then first man, and after-
wards assumed Divinity, as Nestorius fables. Aug. The Aug.
Tr xxvi
manna too came down from heaven ; but the manna was 13]
shadow, this is substance. Alcuin. But men must be quick-
ened by my life : If any man eat of this bread, he shall live,
not only now by faith and righteousness, hui for ever.
51. — And the bread that I will give is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world.
Aug. Our Lord pronounces Himself to be bread, not only Gloss,
in respect of that Divinity, which feeds all things, but also in
respect of that human nature, which was assumed by the
Word of God: And the bread, He says, that I will give is
My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Bede.
This bread our Lord then gave, when He delivered to His
disciple the mystery of His Body and Blood, and offered
Himself to God the Father on the altar of the cross. For
the life of the world, i. e. not for the elements, but for man-
kind, who are called the world. Theophyl. Which I shall
give: this shews His power; for it shews that He was not
240 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI
crucified as a servant, in subjection to the Father, but of his
own accord; for though He is said to have been given up by
the Father, yet He delivered Himself up also. And observe,
the bread which is taken by us in the mysteries, is not only
the sign of Christ's flesh, but is itself the very flesh of
Christ ; for He does not say, The bread which I will give, is the
sign of My flesh, but, is My flesh. The bread is by a mys-
tical benediction conveyed in unutterable words, and by the
indwelling of the Holy Ghost, transmuted into the flesh of
Christ. But why see we not the flesh ? Because, if the flesh
were seen, it would revolt us to such a degree, that we
should be unable to partake of it. And therefore in conde-
scension to our infirmity, the mystical food is given to us
under an appearance suitable to our minds. He gave His
flesh for the life of the world, in that, by dying, He destroyed
death. By the life of the world too, I understand the resur-
rection ; our Lord's death having brought about the resur-
rection of the whole human race. It may mean too the
sanctified, beatified, spiritual life; for though all have not
attained to this life, yet our Lord gave Himself for the world,
and, as far as lies in Him, the whole world is sanctified.
Aug. Aug. But when does flesh receive the bread which He calls
J?r xxvi •
13. His flesh ? The faithful know and receive the Body of Christ,
if they labour to be the body of Christ. And they become
the body of Christ, if they study to live by the Spirit of
Christ: for that which lives by the Spirit of Christ, is the
body of Christ. This bread the Apostle sets forth, where he
1 Cor. says, We being many are one body. O sacrament of mercy,
' ' O sign of unity, O bond of love ! Whoso wishes to live,
let him draw nigh, believe, be incorporated, that he may be
quickened.
52. The Jews therefore strove among themselves,
saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man,
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
VER. D'2 54. ST. JOHN. '241
Aug. The Jews not understanding what was the bread of Aug.
peace, strove among themselves, saying, How can this man i7r{"V1,
give lis His flesh to eat? Whereas they who eat the bread
strive not among themselves, for God makes them to dwell
together in unity. Bede. The Jews thought that our Lord
would divide His flesh into pieces, and give it them to eat:
and so mistaking Him, strove. Chrys. As they thought it Chrys.
impossible that He should do as He said, i. e. give them^^'j
His flesh to eat, He shews them thai it was not only possible,
but necessary: Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man,
and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Aug. As if He Au<?.
said, The sense in which that bread is eaten, and the mode 1-rxxvi"
of eating it, ye know not; but, Except ye eat the flesh of the
Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.
Bede. And that this might not seem addressed to them
alone, He declares universally, Wlioso eateth My flesh, and
drinketh 3Iy blood, hath eternal life. Aug. And that they Aug.
I T Vv T-l
might not understand him to speak of this life, and make that 15 "
an occasion of striving, He adds, Hath eternal life. This
then he hath not who eateth not that flesh, nor drinketh that
blood. The temporal life men may have without Him, the
eternal they cannot. This is not true of material food. If we
do not take that indeed, we shall not live, neither do we live,
if we take it: for either disease, or old age, or some accident
kills us after all. Whereas this meat and drink, i. e. the
Body and Blood of Christ, is such that he that taketh it not
hath not life, and he that taketh it hath life, even life eternal.
Theophyl. For it is not the flesh of man simply, but of God: Theoph.
and it makes man divine, by inebriating him, as it were, with ln v' °'2'
divinity. Aug. There are some who promise men deliverance Aug.
from eternal punishment, if they are washed in Baptism and ^eei ^
partake of Christ's Body, whatever lives they live. The c- 25-
Apostle however contradicts them, where he says, Hie works Gal.5,
of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornica- 19-et
Hon, uncleanness,lasciviousness, idolatvy, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, em illations, wrath , strife, seditions, heresies, en vyings,
murders, drunkenness, retellings, and such like; of the which
I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not i/ihevit the kingdom
R
'■24-J GOSPEL \< CORDING in CHAP. VI.
God. Let us examine what is meant here. He who is in
the unity of His body, (i. e. one of the Christian members,)
the Sacrament of which body the faithful receive when thev
communicate at the Altar; he is truly said to eat the body,
and drink the blood of Christ. And heretics and schis-
matics, who are cut off from the unity of the body, may
receive the same Sacrament; but it does not profit them,
nay, rather is hurtful, as tending to make their judgment
heavier, or their forgiveness later. Nor ought they to feel
secure in their abandoned and damnable ways, who, by
the iniquity of their lives, desert righteousness, i. e. Christ;
either bv fornication, or other sins of the like kind. Such
are not to be said to eat the body of Christ ; forasmuch
as they are not to be counted among the members of Christ.
For, not to mention other things, men cannot be members of
Christ, and at the same time members of an harlot. Aug. Bv
Aug. _ ^ J
super this meat and drink then, He would have us understand
X™15 "the society of His body, and His members, which is the
Church, in the predestined, and called, and justified, and
glorified saints and believers. The Sacrament whereof, i. e.
of the unity of the body and blood of Christ, is administered,
in some places daily, in others on such and such days from
the Lord's Table: and from the Lord's Table it is received by
some to their salvation, by others to their condemnation.
But the thing itself of which this is the Sacrament, is for our
salvation to every one who partakes of it, for condemnation
to none. To prevent us supposing that those who, by virtue
of that meat and drink, were promised eternal life, would not
die in the body, He adds, And I will raise him up at the
last day ; i. e. to that eternal life, a spiritual rest, which the
spirits of the Saints enter into. But neither shall the body
be defrauded of eternal life, but shall be endowed with it at
the resurrection of the dead in the last day.
do. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is
drink indeed.
56. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live
VER. 55—59. ST. JOHN. 243
by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live
by me.
58. This is that bread which came down from
heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are
dead : he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59. These things said he in the synagogue, as he
taught in Capernaum.
Bede. He had said above, Whoso eatellt My jiesh and
drinketh My blood, hath eternal life: and now to shew the
great difference between bodily meat and drink, and the
spiritual mystery of His body and blood, He adds, For My
Jlesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. Chrys. Chrys.
i. e. this is no enigma, or parable, but ye must really eat thexl°,™'K
body of Christ; or He means to say that the true meat was
He who saved the soul. Aug. Or thus : Whereas men Aug.
desire meat and drink to satisfy hunger and thirst, this j 7*
effect is only really produced by that meat and drink, which
makes the receivers of it immortal and incorruptible; i. e.
the society of Saints, where is peace and unity, full and
perfect. On which account our Lord has chosen for the
types of His body and blood, things which become one out
of many. Bread is a quantity of grains united into one
mass, wine a quantity of grapes squeezed together. Then
He explains what it is to eat His body and drink His blood :
He that eateth My flesh, and drinkelh My blood, dicelleth
in Me, and I in him. So then to partake of that meat and
that drink, is to dwell in Christ and Christ in thee. He
that dwelleth not in Christ, and in whom Christ dwelleth not,
neither eateth His flesh, nor drinketh His blood: but rather
eateth and drinketh the sacrament of it to his own damnation.
Chrys. Or, having given a promise of eternal life to those Chrys.
that eat Him, He says this to confirm it: He that eateth 3/yxivii. "1.
jlesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in 3Ie, and I in him.
Aug. As for those, as indeed there are many, who either eat Aug-
that flesh and drink that blood hypocritically, or, who D0m.
having eaten, become apostates, do they dwell in Christ, and
Christ in them ? Nay, but there is a certain mode of eating
that flesh, and drinking that blood, in the which he that
it "2
'244 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
eateth and drinketh, dwelleth in Christ, and Christ in him.
fu%'- Aug. That is to say, such an one eateth the body and
Dei, i.i. drinketh the blood of Christ not in the sacramental sense,
Chryg? Dut *n reality. Chrys. And because I live, it is manifest
Hom. that he will live also: As the living Father hath sent Me,
xlvi.
and I live by the Father, even so he that eateth Me, even he
Aug. shall live by Me. As if He said, As the Father liveth,
Dom. * so do I live; adding, lest you should think Him unbegotten,
(Nic.) By the Father, meaning that He has His source in the
Father. He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me; the
life here meant is noi life simply, but the justified life: for
even unbelievers live, who never eat of that flesh at all. Nor
is it of the general resurrection He speaks, (for all will rise
Aug- . again,) but of the resurrection to glory, and reward. Aug.
Tr«xxvi«
s. 19* He saith not, As I eat the Father, and live by the Father,
so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. For
the Son does not grow better by partaking of the Father,
as we do by partaking of the Son, i. e. of His one body
and blood, which this eating and drinking signifies. So
that His saying, 1 live by the Father, because He is from
Him, must not be understood as detracting from His equality.
Nor do the words, Even he that eateth Me, the same shall
live by Me, give us the equality that He has. He does not
equalize, but only mediates between God and man. If,
however, we understand the words, / live by the Father, in
c. 14,28. the sense of those below, My Father is greater than J, then
it is as if He said, That I live by the Father, i. e. refer my
1 exin- life to Him, as my superior, my1 humiliation in my incar-
nation is the cause; but He who lives by Me, lives by Me
by virtue of partaking of My flesh.
Hilar. Hilary. Of the truth then of the body and blood of Christ,
Trin^c. no room f°r doubting remains : for, by the declaration of our
14- Lord Himself, and by the teaching of our own faith, the flesh
is really flesh, and the blood really blood. This then is our
principle of life. While we are in the flesh, Christ dwelleth
c.H,i9.in us by His flesh. And we shall live by Him, according
as He liveth. If then we live naturally by partaking of Him
according to the flesh, He also liveth naturally by the in-
dwelling of the Father according to the Spirit. His birth
did not give Him an alien or different nature from the
ver. 55 — 59. ST. JOHN. 245
Father. Aug. That we who cannot obtain eternal life of Aug.
ourselves, might live by the eating that bread, He descended Ct £0.
from heaven : This is the bread which comet h down from heaven.
Hilary. He calls Himself the bread, because He is the origin Hilar.
/IT'
of His own body. And lest it should be thought that thec^18™
virtue and nature of the Word had given way to the flesh,
He calls the bread His flesh, that, inasmuch as the bread
came down from heaven, it might be seen that His body was
not of human conception, but a heavenly body. To say that
the bread is His own, is to declare that the Word assumed
His body Himself, Theophyl. For we do not eat God
simply, God being impalpable and incorporeal; nor again,
the flesh of man simply, which would not profit us. But
God having taken flesh into union with Himself, that flesh
is quickening. Not that it has changed its own for the
Divine nature ; but, just as heated iron remains iron, with the
action of the heat in it; so our Lord's flesh is quickening, as
being the flesh of the W'ord of God. Bede. And to shew
the wide interval between the shadow and the light, the
type and the reality, He adds, Not as your fathers did eat
manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall lice
for ever. Aug. The death here meant is death eternal. For Aug.
even those who eat Christ are subject to natural death; outgo.'*
they live for ever, because Christ is everlasting life. Chrys. Chrys.
For if it was possible without harvest or fruit of the earth, or jjj
any such thing, to preserve the lives of the Israelites of old
for forty years, much more will He be able to do this with
that spiritual food, of which the manna is the type. He
knew how precious a thing life was in men's eyes, and
therefore repeats His promise of life often; just as the Old
Testament had done; only that it ouly offered length of life, Exod.
He life without end. This promise was an abolition of thatj)e'ut>
sentence of death, which sin had brought upon us. These 22? (•
things said He in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum ; 3, 14.
where many displays of His power took place. He taught ^s'21\
in the synagogue and in the temple, with the view of attract- Prov. 3,
ing the multitude, and as a sign that He was not acting in
opposition to the Father. Bede. Mystically, Capernaum,
which means beautiful town, stands for the world: the
synagogue, for the Jewish people. The meaning is, that our
2J6 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ? CHAP. VI.
Lord hath, by the mystery of the incarnation, manifested
Himself to the world, and also taught the Jewish people His
doctrines.
60. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had
heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can
hear it?
01. When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples
murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend
you ?
62. What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend
up where he was before ?
63. It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh pro-
fiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are life.
64. But there are some of you that believe not. For
Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him.
65. And he said, Therefore said I unto von, that
no man can come unto me, except it were given unto
him of my Father.
66. From that time many of his disciples went back,
and walked no more with him.
67. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also
go away ?
68. Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to
whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of eternal
life.
69. And we believe and are sure that* thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God.
70. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you
twelve, and one of vou is a devil ?
71. He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon :
for he it was that should betray him, being one of the
twelve.
ver. 60— 71. ST. JOHN. 247
Aug. Such is our Lord's discourse. The people did not Aug.
perceive that it had a deep meaning, or, that grace went along 2 rx
with it: but receiving the matter in their own way, and
taking His words in a human sense, understood Him as if
He spoke of cutting of the flesh of the Word into pieces, for
distribution to those who believed on Him: Many therefore,
not of His enemies, but even of His disciples, wit en they
heard this, said, This is an hard saying, who can hear it?
Chrys. i. e. difficult to receive, too much for their weakness Chrys.
They thought He spoke above Himself, and more loftily than xivii.'2.
He had a right to do; and so said they, Who can bear it S
which was answering in fact for themselves, that they could
not. Aug. And if His disciples thought that saying hard, Aug.
what would His enemies think? Yet it was necessary to 2r"
declare a thing, which would be unintelligible to men. God's
mysteries should draw men's attention, not enmity. Theo-
phyl. When you hear, however, of His disciples murmuring,
understand not those really such, but rather some who, as
far as their air and behaviour went, seemed to be receiving
instruction from Him. For among His disciples were some
of the people, who were called such, because they stayed
sometime with His disciples. Aug. They spoke, however, Aug.
so as not to be heard by Him. But He, who knew what was3rj
in them, heard within Himself: When Jesus knew within Him-
self that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Doth
this offend you? Alcuin. i. e. that I said, you should eat My
flesh, and drink My blood. Chrys. The revelation however chrys.
of these hidden things was a mark of His Divinity : hence the Hom-
, . * xlvii. 2.
meaning of what follows; And if ye shall see the Son of man
ascend up where He was before; supply, What will ye say:
He said the same to Nathan ael,2fe6,tf//.s,e / said to thee, I saw
thee under the Jig tree, believest thou f Thou sJialt see greater
tilings than these. He does not add difficulty to difficulty,
but to convince them by the number and greatness of His
doctrines. For if He had merely said that He came down
from heaven, without adding any thing further, he would have
offended His hearers more; but by saying that His flesh is
the life of the world, and that as He was sent by the living
Father, so He liveth by the Father; and at last by adding
that He came flown from heaven, He removed all doubt. Nor
248 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
does He mean to scandalize His disciples, but rather to
remove their scandal. For so long as they thought Him the
Son of Joseph, they could not receive His doctrines ; but if
thev once believed that He had come down from heaven,
and would ascend thither, they would be much more willing
and able to admit them. Aug. Or, these words are an
answer to their mistake. They supposed that He was
going to distribute His body in bits: whereas He tells
them now, that He should ascend to heaven whole and
entire: What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up
where He was before ? ye will then see that He does not
distribute His body in the way ye think. Again; Christ
became the Son of man, of the Virgin Mary here upon earth,
and took flesh upon Him: He says then, What and if ye
shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before?
to let us know that Christ, God and man, is one person, not
two; and the object of one faith, not a quaternity, but a
Trinity. He was the Son of man in heaven, as He was Son
of God upon earth; the Son of God upon earth by assumption
of the flesh, the Son of man in heaven, by the unity of the
person. Theophyl. Do not suppose from this that the body
of Christ came down from heaven, as the heretics Marcion
and Apollinarius say; but only that the Son of God and the
Chrys. Son of man are one and the same. Chrys. He tries to
xlvii. 3. remove their difficulties in another way, as follows, It is the
spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: that is
to say, You ought to understand My words in a spiritual
sense: he who understands them carnally is profited nothing.
To interpret carnally is to take a proposition in its bare
literal meaning, and allow no other. But we should not
judge of mysteries in this way; but examine them with the
inward eye; i. e. understand them spiritually. It was
carnal to doubt how our Lord could give His flesh to eat.
What then? Is it not real flesh? Yea, verily. In saying
then that the flesh profit etlt nothing, He does not speak of
His own flesh, but that of the carnal hearer of His word.
Aug. Aug. Or thus, the flesh profiteth nothing. They had under-
xxvii. stood by His flesh, as it were, of a carcase, that was to be
s- 5- cut up, and sold in the shambles, not of a body animated
by the spirit. Join the spirit to the flesh, and it profiteth
VER. (JO — 71. ST. JOHN. 249
much: for if the flesh profited not, the Word would not
have become flesh, and dwelt among us. The Spirit hath
done much for our salvation, by means of the flesh. Aug.
For the flesh does not cleanse of itself, but by the Word
who assumed it: which Word, being the principle of life in
all things, having taken up soul and body, cleanseth the
souls and bodies of those that believe. It is the spirit, then,
that quickeneth: the flesh -profit eth nothing; i. e. the flesh
as they understood it. 1 do not, He seems to say, give My
body to be eaten in this sense. He ought not to think of
the flesh carnally: The words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are life. Chrys. i. e. are spiritual, have Chrys.
nothing carnal in them, produce no effects of the natural xl^'2<
sort; not being under the dominion of that law of necessity,
and order of nature established on earth. Aug. If then Aug.
thou understandest them spiritually, they are life and spirit
to thee: if carnally, even then they are life and spirit, but
not to thee. Our Lord declares that in eating His body, and
drinking Hfs blood, we dwell in Him, and He in us. But
what has the power to affect this, except love? The love of B.om. 5,
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which0'
is given to us. Chrys. Having spoken of His words being Chrys.
taken carnally, He adds, But there are some of you that Jr-xlvn-
believe not. Some, He says, not including His disciples in
.the number. This insight shews His high nature. Aug. He Aug.
says not, There are some among you who understand dot; ™W1,
but gives the reason why they do not understand. The
Prophet said, Except ye believe, ye shall not understand*. i5. 79.
For how can he who opposes be quickened? An adversary,
though he avert not his face, yet closes his mind to the ray
of light which should penetrate him. But let men believe,
and open their eyes, and they will be enlightened. Chrys. Chrys.
To let you know that it was before these words, and notirxxvIU
after, that the people murmured and were offended, the
Evangelist adds, For Jesus knew from the beginning, who
they were that believed not, and who should betray Him.
Theophyl. The Evangelist wishes to shew us, that He
knew all things before the foundation of the world: which
was a proof of His divinity. Aug. And after distinguishing Aug.
* Be established. Non permanebitis, Vulg. " '
250 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
those who believed from those who did not believe, our
Lord gives the reason of the unbelief of the latter, And He
said, Therefore said I auto you, that no man can come unto
Chrys. Me, except it were given him of My Father. Chrys. As if
xlv^. ^-e sai°o Men's unbelief does not disturb or astonish Me:
I know to whom the Father hath given to come to Me. He
mentions the Father, to shew first that He had no eve to
His own glory; secondly, that God was His Father, and not
Aug. Joseph. Aug. So then (our) faith is given to us: and no
jf 'small gift it is. Wherefore rejoice if thou believest; but be
l Cor. not lifted Up? for what hast thou which thou didst not receive ?
And that this grace is given to some, and not to others, no
one can doubt, without going against the plainest declarations
of Scripture. As for the question, why it is not given to all,
this cannot disquiet the believer, who knows that in con-
sequence of the sin of one man, all are justly liable to con-
demnation; and that no blame could attach to God, even if
none were pardoned; it being of His great mercy only that
so many are. And why He pardons one rather than another,
rests with Him, whose judgments are unsearchable, and His
ways past finding out.
And from that time many of the disciples went back, and
Chrys. walked no more with Him. Chrys. He does not say,
xlvifs witbdrewb, but went back, i. e. from being good hearers, from
Aug. the belief which they once had. Aug. Being cut off from
r.xxvn. t|ie |30(2y5 their life was gone. They were no longer in the
body; they were created among the unbelieving. There
went back not a few, but many after Satan, not after Christ;
1 Tim. as the Apostle says of some women, For some had already
turned aside after Satan. Our Lord says to Peter, Get thee
Chrys. behind Me. He does not tell Peter to go after Satan. Chrys.
xlvi. 2. But it may be asked, what reason was there for speaking-
words to them which did not edify, but might rather have
injured them? It was very useful and necessary; for this
reason, they had been just now urgent in petitioning for
bodily food, and reminding Him of that which had been
given to their fathers. So He reminds them here of spiritual
food; to shew that all those miracles were typical. They
ought not then to have been offended, but should have
VER. 60 7L ST. JOHN. 251
enquired of Him further. The scandal was owing to their
fatuity, not to the difficulty of the truths declared by our
Lord. Aug. And perhaps this took place for our consola- Au£-
i .i . i Tr.xxvii.
tion; since it sometimes happens that a man says what is g.
true, and what He says is not understood, and they which
hear are offended and go. Then the man is sorry he spoke
what was true; for he says to himself, I ought not to have
spoken it; and yet our Lord was in the same case. He
spoke the truth, and destroyed many. But He is not
disturbed at it, beeause He knew from the beginning which
would believe. We, if this happens to us, are disturbed.
Let us desire consolation then from our Lord's example; and
withal use caution in our speech. Bede. Our Lord knew well
the intentions of the other disciples which stayed, as to staying
or going; but yet He put the question to them, in order to
prove their faith, and hold it up to imitation: Then said
Jesus unto the tivelre, Will ye also go away? Chrys. This Chrys.
was the right way to retain them. Had He praised them,x]°|f43
they would naturally, as men do, have thought that they
were conferring a favour upon Christ, by not leaving Him:
by shewing, as He did, that He did not need their company,
He made them hold the more closely by Him. He does
not say, however, Go away, as this would have been to cast
them off, but asks whether they wished to go away; thus pre-
venting their staying with Him from any feeling of shame or
necessity: for to stay from necessity would be the same as going
away. Peter, who loved his brethren, replies for the whole
number, Lord, to whom shall we go? Aug. As if he said, Thou AuS-
I r.xx vii •
castest us from Thee: give us another to whom we shall go, s. 9.
if we leave Thee. Chrys. A speech of the greatest love: Chrys.
proving that Christ was more precious to them than father xl°™'3<
or mother. And that it might not seem to be said, from
thinking that there was no one whose guidance they could
look to, he adds, Thou hast the words of eternal life :
which shewed that he remembered his Master's words,
/ will raise Him up, and, hath eternal life. The Jews
said, Is not this the Son of Joseph f how differently Peter:
We believe and are sure, that Thou art that Christ, the
Son of the living God. Aug. For we believed, in order Au-
to know. Had we wished first to know, and then to lr-xxvl>-
s. 9.
believe, we could never have been able to believe. This
252 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. CHAP. VI.
we believe, and know, that Thou art the Christ the Son of
God; i. e. that Thou art eternal life, and that in Thy flesh and
Chrys. blood Thou givest what Thou art Thvself. Chrys. Peter
IT U "
xl°™' 3 however having said, We believe, our Lord excepts Judas
from the number of those who believed: Jesus answered
them, Have not I chosen yon twelve, and one of you is a
devil? i. e. Do not suppose that, because you have followed
Me, I shall not reprove the wicked among you. It is worth
enquiring, why the disciples say nothing here, whereas
Matt, afterwards they ask in fear, Lord, is it I? But Peter had not
26, 22. yej. beeil told, Get thee behind Me, Satan; and therefore had
Mat. 16, J ' '
23. as yet no fear of this sort. Our Lord however does not say
here, One of you shall betray Me, but, is a devil: so that
they did not know what the speech meant, and thought that
it was only a case of wickedness in general, that He was
reproving. The Gentiles on the subject of election blame
Christ foolishly. His election does not impose auy necessity
upon the person with respect to the future, but leaves it in
the power of His will to be saved or perish. Bede. Or we
must say, that He elected the eleven for one purpose, the
twelfth for another: the eleven to fill the place of Apostles,
-and persevere in it unto the end; the twelfth to the service
of betraying Him, which was the means of saving the human
Aug. race. Aug. He was elected to be an involuntary and
rr.xxvu. unconscious instrument of producing the greatest good. For
as the wicked turn the good works of God to an evil use, so
reversely God turns the evil works of man to good. What
can be worse than what Judas did? Yet our Lord made
a good use of his wickedness; allowing Himself to be
betrayed, that He might redeem us. In, Have I not chosen
you twelve, twelve seems to be a sacred number used in the
case of those, who were to spread the doctrine of the Trinity
through the four quarters of the world. Nor was the virtue
of that number impaired, by one perishing; inasmuch as
Greg, another was substituted in his room. Greg. One of you is
. .r*1, a devil: the bodyb is here named after its head. Chrys.
1. Xlll.C. J
xxxiv. Mark the wisdom of Christ: He neither, by exposing him,
Hom! makes him shameless and contentious; nor again emboldens
xlvii. 4. him, by allowing him to think himself concealed.
t> i. e. the whole body of wicked. Judaw, as being one of that body, is named
after its head, the devil.
CHAP. VII.
1. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for
he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought
to kill him.
2. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.
3. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart
hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may
see the works that thou doest.
4. For there is no man that doeth any thing in
secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly.
If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
5. For neither did his brethren believe in him.
6. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet
come : but your time is alway ready.
7. The world cannot hate you: but me it hateth,
because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
8. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto
this feast; for my time is not yet fully come.
Aug. As the believer in Christ would have in time to Aug.Tr.
come to hide himself from persecution, that no guilt might *xvlu-2«
attach to such concealment, the Head began with doing Him-
self, what He sanctioned in the member ; After these tilings
Jesus walked in Galilee : for he ivould not walk in Jewry,
because the Jews sought to kill Him. Bede. The connexion
of this passage admits of much taking place in the interval
previously. Judaea and Galilee are divisions of the province
of Palestine. Judaea has its name from the tribe of Judah;
but it embraces not only the territories of Judah, but of
Benjamin, all of which were called Judaea, because Judah
•254 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
was the royal tribe. Galilee has its name, from the milky,
i. e. white, colour of its inhabitants; Galilee being Greek for
Ajg.Tr. milk. Aug. It is not meant that our Lord could not walk
"vlli among the Jews, and escape being killed; for He had this
power, whenever He chose to shew it : but He set the
example of so doing, as an accommodation to our weakness.
He had not lost His power, but He indulged our frailty.
Chrys. Chrys. That is to say? He displayed the attribute both of
xlviii. l. divinity and humanity. He fled from His persecutors as
man, He remained and appeared amongst them as God ;
being really both. Theophyl. He withdrew too now to
Galilee, because the hour of His passion was not yet come ;
and He thought it useless to stay in the midst of His ene-
mies, when the effect would only have been to irritate them
the more. The time at which this happened is then given ;
Aug.Tr. jVb-M/ the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. Aug.
' What the feast of tabernacles is, we read in the Scriptures.
They used to make tents on the festival, like those in which
they lived during their journey in the desert, after their
departure from Egypt. They celebrated this feast in com-
memoration of the good things the Lord had done for them ;
though they were tire very people who were about to slay
the Lord. It is called the day of the feast", though it lasted
Chrys. many days. Chrys. It appears here, that a considerable
" j time had passed since the last events. For when our Lord
sat upon the mount, it was near the feast of the Passover,
and now it is the feast of tabernacles : so that in the five
intermediate months the Evangelist has related nothing but
the miracle of the loaves, and the conversation with those
who ate of them. As our Lord was unceasingly working-
miracles, and holding disputes with people, the Evangelists
could not relate all; but only aimed at giving those, in which
complaint or opposition had followed on the part of the Jews,
as was the case here. Theophyl. His brethren saw that
He was not preparing to go to the feast: His brethren therefore
said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea. Bede.
Meaning to say, Thou doest miracles, and only a few see
them: go to the royal city, where the rulers are, that they
may see Thy miracles, and so Thou obtain praise. And as
a St. Augustine goes by the Vulgate, dies festus.
xivm.
VER. 1 8. ST. JOHN. 255
our Lord had not brought all His disciples with Him, but
left many behind in Judaea, they add, That Thy disciples also
may see the works that Thou doest. Theophyl. i. e. the
multitudes that follow Thee. They do not mean the twelve,
but the others that had communication with Him. Aug. Aug.Tr.
-%f v TT I 1 1 -■'
When you hear of our Lord's brethren, you must understand
the kindred of Mary, not her offspring after our Lord's birth.
For as the body of our Lord once only lay in the sepulchre,
and neither before, nor after that once ; so could not the
womb of Mary have possibly conceived any other mortal
offspring. Our Lord's works did not escape His disciples,
but they escaped His brethren ; hence their suggestion,
That Thy disciples may see the works that Thou doest. They
speak according to the wisdom of the flesh, to the Word that
was made flesh, and add, For there is no man that doeth any
thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly.
If Thou do these things, shew Thyself to the world; as if to
say, Thou doest miracles, do them in the eyes of the world,
that the world may honour Thee. Their admonitions aim at
procuring glory for Him ; and this very thing, viz. aiming at
human glory, proved that they did not believe in Him, as we
next read, For neither did His brethren believe on Him.
They were Christ's kindred, but they were on that very
account above believing in Him. Chrys. It is striking to Chrys.
observe the great sincerity of the Evangelists; that they are x^,™' j
not ashamed to mention things which, appear to be to our2*
Lord's disadvantage, but take particular care to tell us of
them. It is a considerable reflexion on our Lord, that His
brethren do not believe on Him. The beginning of their
speech has a friendly appearance about it : but there is much
bitterness in it, thus charging Him with the motives of fear
and vain glory; No man, say they, doeth any thing in secret:
this was reproaching Him tacitly with fear; and was an
insinuation too that His miracles had not been real and solid
ones. In what follows, And he himself seeketh to be
known openly, they taunt Him with the love of glory.
Christ however answers them mildly, teaching us not to take
the advice of people ever so inferior to ourselves angrily;
Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but
your time is alway ready. Bede. This is no contradiction
256 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
Gal. 4,4. to what the Apostle says, But when the fulness of time was
come, God sent forth His Son. Our Lord referring here to
Aug.Tr.the time not of His nativity, but of His glorification. Aug.
xxvm.5. Xhey gave Him advice to pursue glory, and not allow Him-
self to remain in concealment and obscurity ; appealing
altogether to worldly and secular motives. But our Lord
was laying down another road to that very exaltation, viz.
humility : My time, He says, i. e. the time of My glory, when
I shall come to judge on high, is not yet come ; but your
time, i. e. the glory of the world, is always ready. And let
us, who are the Lord's body, when insulted by the lovers of
this world, say, Your time is ready: ours is not yet come.
Our country is a lofty one, the way to it is low. Whoso
Chrys. rejecteth the way, why seeketh he the country? Ckrys.
i ™' 0 Or there seems to be another meaning concealed in the words;
perhaps they intended to betray Him to the Jews ; and there-
fore He says, My time is not yet come, i. e. the time of My
cross and death : but your time is always ready; for though
you are always with the Jews, they will not kill you, because
vou are of the same mind with them: The world cannot hate
you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works
thereof are evil: as if He said, How can the world hate
them who have the same wishes and aims with itself? It
hateth Me, because I reprove it. I seek not then glory
from men ; inasmuch as I hesitate not to reprove them,
though I know that I am hated in consequence, and that
My life is aimed at Here we see that the hatred of the
Jews was owing to His reproofs, not to His breaking the
sabbath. Theophyl. Our Lord brings two arguments in
answer to their two charges. To the charge of fear He
answers, that He reproves the deeds of the world, i. e. of
those who love worldly things ; which He would not do, if
He were under the influence of fear; and He replies to the
charge of vain glory, by sending them to the feast, Go ye up
unto this feast. Had He been possessed at all with the
desire for glory, He would have kept them with Him: for
Chrys. the vain glorious like to have many followers. Chrys. This
xlviH 2 *s t0 snew t00' that, while He does not wish to humour
them, He still allows them to observe the Jewish ordinances.
xx^iii r* Aug. Or He seems to say, Go ye up to this feast, and seek
5. 8.
veb. 9 — 13. ST. john. 257
for human glory, and enlarge your carnal pleasures, and
forget heavenly things.
1 go not up unto this feast ; Chrys. i.e. not with you, Chrys.
for My time is not yet full come. It was at the next passover H.°^:
that He was to be crucified. Aug. Or My time, i.e. the Aug.
time of My glory, is not yet come. That will be My feast 1
XXV111.
day; not a dayr which passeth and is gone, like holidays8-
here : but one which remaineth for ever. Then will be
festivity; joy without end, eternity without stain, sunshine
without a cloud.
9. When he had said these words unto them, he
abode still in Galilee.
10. But when his brethren were gone up, then went
he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in
secret.
11. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and
said, Where is he?
12. And there was much murmuring among the
people concerning him : for some said, He is a good
man : others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
13. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear
of the Jews.
Theophyl. Our Lord at first declares that He will not go
up to the feast, {I go not up with you,) in order not to expose
Himself to the rage of the Jews; and therefore we read, that,
When He had said these words unto them, He abode still in
Galilee. Afterwards, however, He goes up; But when His
brethren were gone up, then went He also up unto the feast.
Aug. He went up, however, not to get temporary glory, but Aug.
to teach wholesome doctrine, and remind men of the eternal ?.*•
7 XXVlll.
feast. Chrys. He goes up, not to suffer, but to teach. And 8.
He goes up secretly ; because, though He could have gone Horn!
openly, and kept the violence and impetuosity of the Jews xlviii-
in check, as He had often done before ; yet to do this every "
time, would have disclosed His divinity ; and he wished to
establish the fact of His incarnation, and to teach us the
wayr of life. And He went up privately too, to shew us what
s
•258 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
we ought to do, who cannot check our persecutors. It is
not said, however, in secret, but, as it were in secret : to
shew that it was done as a kind of economy. For had He
done all things as God, how should we of this world know
what to do, when we fell into danger? Alcuin. Or, He went
up in secret, because He did not seek the favour of men,
and took no pleasure in pomp, and being followed about with
non occ. crowds. Bede. The mystical meaning is, that to all those
carnal persons who seek human glory, the Lord remains in
Galilee; the meaning of which name is, "passing over;"
applying to those his members who pass from vice to virtue,
and make progress in the latter. And our Lord Himself
delayed to go up, signifying that Christ's members seek
not temporal but eternal glory. And He went up secretly,
Ps. 45, because all5 glory is from within: that is, from a pure heart
1 Tim. and good conscience, and faith unfeigned. Aug. Or the
*> 5- meaning is, that all the ceremonial of the ancient people was
Tract, the figure of what was to be; such as the feast of tabernacles.
*XTm- Which figure is now unveiled to us. Our Lord went up in
secret, to represent the figurative system. He concealed
Himself at the feast itself, because the feast itself signified,
that the members of Christ were in a strange country. For
he dwells in the tents, who regards himself as a stranger in
the world. The word scenopegia here means the feast of
Chr}-s. tabernacles. Chrys. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast,
xiix?i. and sa*d, Wliere is He? out of hatred and enmity; for
they would not call Him by His name. There was not
much reverence or religion in this observance of the feast,
when they wanted to make it an opportunity of seizing
Aug. Christ. Aug. And there was much murmuring in the
xxviii. people concerning Him. A murmuring arising from disagree-
s- n> ment. For some said, He is a good man : others said, Nay;
but He seduceth the people. Whoever had any spark of
grace, said, He is a good man ; the rest, Nay, but He seduceth
the people. That such was said of Him, Who was God, is a
consolation to any Christian, of whom the same may be said.
If to seduce be to decide, Christ was not a seducer, nor can
any Christian be. But if by seducing be meant bringing a
person by persuasion out of one way of thinking into another,
b The king's daughter i.« all glorious within.
VER. 14 — 18. ST. JOHN. 259
then we must enquire from what, and to what. If from good
to evil, the seducer is an evil man ; if from evil to good, a
good one. And would that we were all called, and really
were, such seducers. Chrys. The former, I think, was the Chrys.
1-4
opinion of the multitude, the one, viz. who pronounced Him xi;°^i#
a good man ; the latter the opinion of the priests and rulers ;
as is shewn by their saying, He deceiueth the people, not, He
deceiveth us. Aug. Howbeit no man spake openly of Him, Aug.
rp /
for fear of the Jews ; none, that is, of those who said, i/e^viii*.
is a good man. They who said, He deceiveth, the people, 12.
proclaimed their opinion openly enough ; while the former
only dared whisper theirs. Chrys. Observe, the corruption Chrys.
is in the rulers: the common people are sound in their judg- j?™^
ment, but have not liberty of speech, as is generally their
case.
14. Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up
into the temple, and taught.
15. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth
this man letters, having never learned ?
16. Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is
not mine, but his that sent me.
1 7. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the
doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
myself.
18. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own
glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the
same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Chrys. Our Lord delays His visit, in order to excite men's Chrys.
attention, and goes up not the first day, but about the middle xjix/1#
of the feast: Now about the midst of the feast Jesus tcentAuS'
up into the temple, and taught. Those who had been
searching for Him, when they saw Him thus suddenly appear,
would be more attentive to His teaching, both favourers and
enemies; the one to admire and profit by it; the other to
find an opportunity of laying hands on Him. Theophyl.
At the commencement of the feast, men would be attending
more to the preachings of the festival itself; and afterwards
8 2
200 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
Aug. would be better disposed to hear Christ. Aug. The feast
xxviii. seems, as far as we can judge, to have lasted several days.
s. 60. And therefore it is said, " about the middle of the feast day c:"
i. e. when as many days of that feast had passed, as were to
come. So that His assertion, / go not up yet to this feast
day, (i. e. to the first or second day, as you would wish me,)
was strictly fulfilled. For He went up afterwards, about the
Aug. de midclle of the feast. Aug. In going there too, He went up,
Qusest.
Nov. et not to the feast day, but to the light. They had gone to
J6*' enjoy the pleasures of the festival, but Christ's feast day
78. was that on which by His Passion He redeemed the world.
AuS- Aug. He who had before concealed Himself, taught and
super
Joan, spoke openly, and was not laid hold on. The one was
.ct' intended for an example to us, the other to testify His
xxix. 2. r
Chrys. power. Chrys. What His teaching is, the Evangelist does
xlix 1 n0^ sa) > ^ut that it was very wonderful is shewn by its
effect even upon those who had accused Him of deceiving
the people, who tinned round and began to admire Him :
And the Jews mam lied, saying, How knoweth this Man
letters, having never learned? See how perverse they are
even in their admiration. It is not His doctrine they admire,
Aug. but another thing altogether. Aug. All, it would appear,
r^c '0 admired, but all were not converted. Whence then the
xxix. 2. '
admiration ? Many knew where He was born, and how He
had been educated ; but had never seen Him learning letters.
Yet now they heard Him disputing on the law, and bringing
forward its testimonies. No one could do this, who had not
read the law; no one could read who had not leamt letters;
Chrys. anc^ tn^s raised their wonder. Chrys. Their wonder might
Horn, have led them to infer, that our Lord became possessed of
this learning in some divine way, and not by any human
process. But they would not acknowledge this, and con-
tented themselves with wondering. So our Lord repeated it
to them : Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not
Aug. Mute, hut His that sent Me. Aug. Mine is not mine, appears
Tract. a contradiction; why did He not say, This doctrine is not
XXIX. . 'J - 7
s. 3. Mine ? Because the doctrine of the Father being the Word
of the Father, and Christ Himself being that Word, Christ
Himself is the doctrine of the Father. And therefore He
c Vulgate taken as above literally.
VER. 14 18. ST. JOHN. 261
calls the doctrine both His own, and the Father's. A word
must be a word of some one's. What is so much Thine as
Thou, and what is so much not Thine as Thou, if what Thou
art, Thou art of another. His saying then, My doctrine is
not Mine own, seems briefly to express the truth, that He is
not from Himself; it refutes the Sabellian heresy, which dares
to assert that the Son is the same as the Father, there being
only two names for one thing. Chrys. Or He calls it His Chrys.
own, inasmuch as He taught it; not His own, inasmuch asxiix#2.
the doctrine was of the Father. If all things however which
the Father hath are His, the doctrine for this very reason is
His ; i. e. because it is the Father's. Rather that He says,
Is not Mine own, shews very strongly, that His doctrine and
the Father's are one: as if He said, I differ nothing from
Him ; but so act, that it may be thought I say and do
nothing else than doth the Father. Aug. Or thus : In one Aug- de
sense He calls it His, in another sense not His; according c. xj[
to the form of the Godhead His, according to the form of
the servant not His. Aug. Should any one however notAug-
Tract.
understand this, let him hear the advice which immediately xxix.
follows from our Lord : If any man will do His will, lie shall s- 6-
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I
speak of Myself . What meaneth this, If any man will do
His will? To do His will is to believe on Him, as He Him-
self says, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Himc-6i%9-
whom He hath sent. And who does not know, that to work
the work of God, is to do His will ? To know is to under-
stand. Do not then seek to understand in order to believe,
but believe in order to understand, for, Except ye believe, Is. 7, 9.
ye shall not understand. Chrys. This is as much as to chrys.
say, Put away the anger, envy, and hatred which you have Hom.
towards Me, and there will be nothing to prevent your know-
ing, that the words which I speak are from God. Then He
brings in an irresistible argument taken from human ex-
perience: He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own
glory: as if to say, He who aims at establishing some
doctrine of his own, does so for no purpose, but to get glory.
But I seek the glory of Him that sent me, and wish to
teach you for His, i.e. another's, sake: and then it follows.
But he that seeketh His glory that sent Him, the so/tri^A^ Oi
262 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Theophyl.
As if He said, I speak the truth, because My doctrine con-
taineth the truth : there is no unrighteousness in Me, because
^US* I usurp not another's glory. Aug. He who seeketh his own
xxix. glory is Antichrist. But our Lord set us an example of
s# 8* humility, in that being found in fashion as a man, He sought
His Father's glory, not His own. Thou, when thou doest
good, takest glory to thyself, when thou doest evil, upbraidest
Chrys. Q0d. Chrys. Observe, the reason why He spake so humbly
xlix 2. of Himself, is to let men know, that He does not aim at
glory, or power; and to accommodate Himself to their
weakness, and to teach them moderation, and a humble, a#
distinguished from an assuming, way of speaking of them-
selves.
19. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none
of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
20. The people answered and said, Thou hast a
devil : who goeth about to kill thee ?
21. Jesus answered and said unto them, I have
done one work, and ye all marvel.
22. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision:
(not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers :) and
ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
23. If a man on the sabbath day receive circum-
cision, that the law of Moses should not be broken;
are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every
whit whole on the sabbath day ?
24. Judge not according to the appearance, but
judge righteous judgment.
i
Chrys. Chrys. The Jews brought two charges against Christ ; one,
xlix. 2. that He broke the sabbath; the other, that He said God was
His Father, making Himself equal with God. The latter
He confirmed first by shewing, that He did nothing in
opposition to God, but that both taught the same. Then
turning to the charge of breaking the sabbath, He says,
Did not Moses give yon a law, and none of you keepeth the
VER. 19 — 24. ST. JOHN. 263
law? as much as to say, The law says, Thou shalt not kill,
whereas ye kill. And then, Why go ye about to kill Me ? As
if to say, If I broke a law to heal a man, it was a trans-
gression, but a beneficial one; whereas ye transgress for an
evil end; so you have no right to judge Me for breaking the
law. He rebukes them then for two things ; first, because they
went about to kill Him; secondly, because they were going
about to kill another, when they had not even any right to
judge Him. Aug. Or He means to say, that if they kept Aug.
the law, they would see Him pointed to in every part of it, £T-XXX-
and would not seek to kill Him, when He came. The
people return an answer quite away from the subject, and
only shewing their angry feelings: The people answered and
said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill Thee ? He
who cast out devils, was told that He had a devil. Our
Lord however, in no way disturbed, but retaining all the
serenity of truth, returned not evil for evil, or railing for
railing. Bede. Wherein He left us an example to take it
patiently, whenever wrong censures are passed upon us,
and not answer them by asserting the truth, though able
to do so, but rather by some wholesome advice to the per-
sons; as doth our Lord: Jesus answered and said unto
them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Aug. As Aug.
if He said, What if ye saw all My works? For all that they JT^XXX'
saw going on in the world was of His working, but they saw
not Him Who made all things. But He did one thing, made
a man whole on the sabbath day, and they were in com-
motion: as if, when any one of them recovered from a
disease on the sabbath, he who made him whole were any
other than He, who had offended them by making one man
whole on the sabbath. Chrys. Ye marvel, i. e. are dis-chrys.
turbed, are in commotion. Observe how well He argues with HPm*
xlix 3
them from the law. He wishes to prove that this work was
not a violation of the law; and shews accordingly that there
are many things more important than the law for the observ-
ance of the sabbath, by the observance of which that law is
not broken but fulfilled. Moses there/ore, He says, gave
unto you circumcision, not because it is of 3Ioses, but of the
fathers, and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
Aug. As if He said, Ye have done well to receive circum- r^x -
*. 4.
2t)4 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
cision from Moses, not because it is of 31oses, but of the
fathers; for Abraham first received circumcision from the
Lord. And ye circumcise on the sabbath. Moses has con-
victed you: ye received a law to circumcise on the eighth day;
and ye received a law to rest on the seventh da v. If the
eighth day after a child is born happen to be the sabbath, ye
circumcise the child; because circumcision appertaineth to,
is a kind of sign of, salvation ; and men ought not to rest from
the work of salvation on the sabbath. Alcuix. Circumcision
was given for three reasons; first, as a sign of Abraham's
great faith; secondly, to distinguish the Jews from other
nations ; thirdly, that the receiving of it on the organ of
virility, might admonish us to observe chastity both of body
and mind. And circumcision then possessed the same virtue
that baptism does now ; only that the gate was not yet open.
Our Lord concludes: If a man on the sabbath day receive
circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken;
are ye angry at Me because I have made a man every whit
Clirvs whole on the sabbath day? Chrys. Which is as much as to
Hom. tell them, The breaking of the sabbath in circumcision is a
keeping of the law; and in the same way I by healing on the
sabbath have kept the law. Ye, who are not the legislators,
enforce the law beyond its proper bounds; whereas Moses
made the law give way to the observance of a commandment,
which did not come from the law, but from the fathers. His
saying, I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath
AuCT day, implies that circumcision was a partial recovering. Aug.
Tr.xxx. Circumcision also was perhaps a type of our Lord Himself.
For what is circumcision but a robbing of the flesh, to sig-
nify the robbing the heart of its carnal lusts. And therefore
it was not without reason that it was applied to that member
Rom. 5, by which the mortal creature is propagated : for by one man
12- sin entered into the world. And therefore everv one is born
vite with the foreskin, because every one is born with the fault of
propa- kis propagation. And God does not change us either from the
gems i i o ©
corruption of our birth, or from that we have contracted
ourselves by a bad life, except by Christ: and therefore
they circumcised with knives of stone, to prefigure Christ,
who is the stone; and on the eighth day, because our Lord's
resurrection took place on the day after the seventh day ;
VER. 19 24. ST. JOHN. 265
which resurrection circumcises us, i. e. destroys our carnal
appetites. Regard this, saith our Lord, as a type of My
good work in making a man every whit whole on the sabbath
day: for he was healed, that he might be whole in body,
and he believed, that he might be whole in mind. Ye are
forbidden indeed to do servile work on the sabbath; but
is it a servile work to heal on the sabbath? Ye eat and
drink on the sabbath, because it is necessary for your
health : which shews that works of healing are by no means
to be omitted on the sabbath. Chrys. He does not say, chrys.
however, I have done a greater work than circumcision : I?om*
7 ° ' xhx. 3.
but only states the matter of fact, and leaves the judgment
to them, saying, Judge not according to the appearance, but
judge righteous judgment: as if to say, Do not, because
Moses has a greater name with you than I, decide by
degree of personal eminence; but decide by the nature of the
thing itself, for this is to judge righteously. No one how-
ever has blamed Moses for making the sabbath give place
to the commandment of circumcision, which was not de-
rived from the law, but from another source. Moses then
commands the law to be broken to give effect to a com-
mandment not of the law: and he is more worthy of credit
than you. Aug. What our Lord here tells us to avoid, in Aug.
judging by the person, is very difficult in this world not to Tr;xxx*
do. His admonition to the Jews is an admonition to us as
well; for every sentence which our Lord uttered, was written
for us, and is preserved to us, and is read for our profit.
Our Lord is above; but our Lord, as the truth, is here as
well. The body with which He rose can be only in one
place, but His truth is diffused every where. Who then is
he who judges not by the person ? He who loves all alike.
For it is not the paying men different degrees of honour
according to their situation, that will make us chargeable
with accepting persons. There may be a case to decide
between father and son : we should not put the son on an
equality with the father in point of honour; but, in respect
of truth, if he have the better cause, we should give him the
preference; and so give to each their due, that justice do
not destroy desert11.
d ut non perdat equitas meritum.
266 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
25. Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not
this he, whom they seek to kill ?
26. But, lo, he speaketh hoklly, and they say
nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that
this is the very Christ ?
27. Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but
when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.
28. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught,
saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am :
and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is
true, whom ye know not.
29. But I know him: for I am from him, and he
hath sent me.
30. Then they sought to take him: but no man laid
hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.
Aug. Aug. It was said above that our Lord went up lo the
rp ■
j r,XXX1, feast secretly, not because He feared being taken, (for He had
power to prevent it,) but to shew figuratively, that even in
the very feast which the Jews celebrated, He was hid, and
that it was His mystery. Now however the power appears,
which was thought timidity: He spoke publicly at the feast,
in so much that the multitude marvelled: They said some of
them at Jerusalem, Is not this He, tvhom they seek to kill?
but, lo, He speaketh boldly, and they say nothing to Him.
They knew the fierceness with which He had been sought
for; they marvelled at the power by which he was not taken.
ChlT9- Chrys. The Evangelist adds, from Jerusalem: for there
l. ' had been the greatest display of miracles, and there the
people were in the worst state, seeing the strongest proofs
of His divinity, and yet willing to give up all to the judg-
ment of their corrupt rulers. Was it not a great miracle,
that those who raged for His life, now that they had Him in
Aug. their grasp, became on a sudden quiet? Aug. So, not fully
iT XXXI
lm ' ' understanding Christ's power, they supposed that it was owing
to the knowledge of the rulers that He was spared: Do the
Chrys. riders know indeed that this is the very Christ? Chrys.
Hom. l. -gut Q^y ^0 not f0]]ow the opinion of the rulers, but put
VER. 25 — 30. ST. John. . 267
forth another most perverse and absurd one; Howbeit we
know this Man, whence He is; but when Christ cometh, no
man knoweth ivhence He is. Aug. This notion did not arise Aug.
I T* Y V V X
without foundation. We find indeed that the Scriptures s# '2.
said of Christ, He shall be called a Nazarene, and thus pre- Matt. 2,
dieted whence He would come. And the Jews again told
Herod, when he enquired, that Christ would be born in
Bethlehem of Judah, and adduced the testimony of the
Prophet. How then did this notion of the Jews arise, that,
when Christ came, no one would know whence He was ?
From this reason, viz. that the Scriptures asserted both.
As man, they foretold whence Christ would be; as God, He
was hid from the profane, but revealed Himself to the godly.
This notion they had taken from Isaiah, Who shall declare His sa*
generation f Our Lord replies, that they both knew Him, and
knew Him not: Then cried Jesus in the temple as He taught,
saying, Ye both know Me, and know w-hence I am : that is to
say, Ye both know whence I am, and do not know whence
I am: ye know whence I am, that I am Jesus of Nazareth,
whose parents ye know. The birth from the Virgin was the
only part of the matter unknown to them : with this excep-
tion, they knew all that pertained to Jesus as man. So He
well says, Ye both know Me, and know ivhence I am : i. e.
according to the flesh, and the likeness of man. But in
respect of His divinity, He savs, / am not come of Myself ,
but He that sent Me is true. Chrys. By which He discloses Chrys.
Horn.
what was in their minds. I am not, He seems to say, of the 1. 1.
number of those who have come without reason, but He is
true that sent Me; and if He is true, He hath sent Me in
truth ; and therefore He who is sent must needs speak the
truth. He then convicts them from their own assertions.
For whereas they had said, When Christ cometh, no man
knoweth whence He is, He shews that Christ did come from
one whom they knew not, i. e. the Father. Wherefore He
adds, Whom ye knoiv not. Hilary. Every man, ever born in Hilar.
de 'Y rin.
the flesh, is in a certain sense from God. How then could He ult.med.
say that they were ignorant who He was, and whence He
was"? Because our Lord is here referring to His own peculiar
a Because even considering Him man, He would be born of God in the
common sen.se.
268 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
birth from God, which they were ignorant of, because they did
not know that He was the Son of God. His very saying then
that thev did not know whence He was, was telling theru whence
He was. If they did not know whence He was, He could
not be from nothing; for then there would be no whence to
be ignorant of. He must therefore be from God. And then
not knowing whence He is, was the reason that they did not
know who He is. He does not know the Son who does not
Chrvs. know His birth from the Father. Chrys. Or the ignorance,
Hom. l. jje here Speaks of, is the ignorance of a bad life ; as Paul
Xit. i. saith, They profess that they know God, but in works they
16- deny Him. Our Lord's reproof is twofold : He first
published what they were speaking secretly, crying out,
Aug. in order to put them to shame. Aug. Lastly, to shew whence
4t "'they could get to know Him (who had sent Him), He adds,
I know Him: so if you would know Him, enquire of Me.
c. 8, 55. No one knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whom
the So?t will reveal Him. And if I should say, I know Him
Chrys. not,I should be a liar like unto you. Chrys. Which is impos-
TJ I *s L
om' ' sible: for He that sent Me is true, and therefore He that is sent
must be true likewise. He every where attributes the knowledge
of the Father to Himself, as being from the Father: thus here,
Hilar. But I know Him, for lam from Him. Hilary. I ask how-
Ii".de ever, does the beinsr from Him express a work of creation,
Inn. ° < ■
ultra or a birth by generation? If a work of creation, then even-
thing which is created is from Him. And how then does not
all creation know the Father, if the Son knows Him, because
He is from Him * But if the knowledge of the Father is pecu-
liar to Him, as being from Him, then the being from Him is
peculiar to Him also ; i. e. the being the true Son of God by
nature. So you have then a peculiar knowledge springing
from a peculiar generation. To prevent however any heresy
applying the being from Him, to the time of His advent,
He adds, And He hath sent Me: thus preserving the order
of the Gospel sacrament ; first announcing Himself born,
An_ and then sent. Aug. I am from Him. He says, i. e. as the
Tr.xxxi. §ou from the Father: but that you see Ale in the flesh is
4. .
because He hath sent Me. Wherein understand not a differ-
Chrva ence of nature, but the authority of a father. Chrys. His
Horn. 1. saying however, Whom ye know not, irritated the Jews, who
VER. 31 36. ST. JOHN. 269
professed to have knowledge ; and they sought to take Him,
but no man laid hands on Him. Mark the invisible check
which is kept upon their fury : though the Evangelist does
not mention it, but preserves purposely a humble and
human way of speaking, in order to impress us with Christ's
humanity; and therefore only adds, Because His hour was
not yet come. Aug. That is, because He was not so pleased ; Aug.
for our Lord was not born subject to fate. Thou must notx^x^'
believe this even of thyself, much less of Him by Whom thou s- 5-
wert made. And if thine hour is in His will, is not His hour
in His own will ? His home then here does not mean the time
that He was obliged to die, but the time that He deigned to
be put to death.
31. And many of the people believed on him, and
said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles
than these which this man hath done ?
32. The Pharisees heard that the people murmured
such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and
the chief priests sent officers to take him.
33. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while
am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.
34. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me : and
where I am, thither ye cannot come.
35. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither
will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go
unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the
Gentiles ?
36. What manner of saving is this that he said, Ye
shall seek me, and shall not find me : and where I am,
thither ye cannot come ?
Aug. And many of the people believed on Him, Our Lord Aug.
brought the poor and humble to be saved. The common XX^.V.
people, who soon saw their own infirmities, received His
medicine without hesitation. Chrys. Neither had these £Thrys',
Horn. 1.
2.
270 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
however a sound faith ; but took up a low way of speaking,
after the manner of the multitude : When Christ co?nelh, will
He do more miracles than this Man hath done ? Their say-
ing, When Christ cometh, shews that they were not steady in
believing that He was the Christ: or rather, that they did
not believe He was the Christ at all ; for it is the same as if
they said, that Christ, when He came, would be a superior
person, and do more miracles. Minds of the grosser sort are
Aug. influenced not by doctrine, but by miracles. Aug. Or they
xxxi. 7. mean, If there are not to be two Christs, this is He. The
rulers however, possessed with madness, not only refused to
acknowledge the physician, but even wished to kill Him :
The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things
concerning Him, and the Pharisees and chief priests sent
officers to take Him. Chrys. He had discoursed often
before, but they had never so treated Him. The praises of
the multitude however now irritated them; though the trans-
gression of the sabbath still continued to be the reason put
forward. Nevertheless, they were afraid of taking this step
Aug. themselves, and sent officers instead. Aug. Not being able
Tract. to ta]-e Him against His will, they sent men to hear Him
s. 8. teach. Teach what? Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little
Chrys. while I am with you. Chrys. He speaks with the greatest
Hom. 1. huraiiify . as if to say, Why do ye make such haste to kill
Aug. Me? Only wait a little time. Aug. That which ye wish to
xxxi 8 d° now, ye shall do sometime, but not now: because it is
not My will. For I wish to fulfil My mission in due course,
Chrys. and so to come to My passion. Chrys. In this way He
2 ' ' astonished the bolder part of the multitude, and made the
earnest among them more eager to hear Him ; so little time
being now left, during which they could have the benefit of
His teaching. He does not say, I am here, simply; but, /
am with you ; meaning, Though you persecute Me, I will
not cease fulfilling my part towards you, teaching you the
way to salvation, and admonishing you. What follows, And
I go unto Him that sent 31e, was enough to excite some fear.
Theophyl. As if He were going to complain of them to the
Father: for if they reviled Him who was sent, no doubt they
did an injury to Him that sent. Bede. / go to Him that
VER. 31— 36. ST. JOHN. 271
sent Me: i. e. I return to My Father, at whose command I
became incarnate. He is speaking of that departure, from
which He has never returned. Chrys. That they wanted Chrys.
His presence, appears from His saying, Ye seek Me, and^™'
shall not find Me. But when did the Jews seek Him ? Luke
relates that the women lamented over Him: and it is pro-
bable that many others did the same. And especially, when
the city was taken, would they call Christ and His miracles
to remembrance, and desire His presence. Aug. Here He Aug.
foretels His resurrection : for the search for Him was to „ r. 'Q
xxxi. y.
take place after His resurrection, when men were conscience-
stricken. They would not acknowledge Him, when present;
afterward they sought Him, when they saw the multitude
believing on Him; and many pricked in their hearts said,
What shall ive do ? They perceived that Christ's death was
owing to their sin, and believed in Christ's pardon to sinners;
and so despaired of salvation, until they drank of that blood
which they shed. Chrys. Then lest any should think that Chrys.
His death would take place in the common way, He adds, K^'3
And where I a?n, thither ye cannot come. If He continued
in death, they would be able to go to Him: for we all are going
thitherwards. Aug. He does not say, Where I shall be, but Aug.
Where I am. For Christ was always there in that place -J^Ly.
whither He was about to return : He returned in such a
way, as that He did not forsake us. Visibly and accofding
to the flesh, He was upon earth ; according to His invisible
majesty, He was in heaven and earth. Nor again is it, Ye
will not be able, but, Ye are not able to come : for they were
not such at the time, as to be able. That this is not meant
to drive men to despair, is shewn by His saying the very
same thing to His disciples ; Whither I go, ye cannot come ;
and by His explanation last of all to Peter, Whither I go, ye
cannot follow Me now, but ye shall follow Me afterwards.
Chrys. He wants them to think seriously how little time Chrys.
longer He should be with them, and what regret they will Som* 1-
feel when He is gone, and they are not able to find Him.
/ go unto Him that sent Me; this shews that no injury
was done Him by their plots, and that His passion was
voluntary. The words had some effect upon the Jews, who
asked each other, where they were to go, which was like
•272 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHA1\ VII.
persons desiring to be quit of Him: Then said the Jews
among themselves, Whither will He go, that ice shall not find
Him ? Will He go to the dispersed among the Gentiles, and
teach the Gentiles ? In the fulness of their self-satisfaction,
they call them Gentiles, as a term of reproach ; the Gentiles
being dispersed every where ; a reproach which they them-
selves underwent afterwards. Of old all the nation was
united together : but now that the Jews were mixed with
the Gentiles in every part of the world, our Lord would not
have said, J V hither I go, ye cannot come, in the sense of
Aug. going to the Gentiles. Aug. Whither I go, i. e. to the
Tract. bosom of the Father. This they did not at all understand :
XXXI. J
10. and yet even their mistake is an unwitting prophecy of our
salvation ; i. e. that our Lord would go to the Gentiles, not
in His own person, but by His feet, i. e. His members. He
sent to us those whom He had made His members, and so
Chrys. made us His members. Chrys. They did not mean, that
3°m" our Lord was going to the Gentiles for their hurt, but to
teach them. Their anger had subsided, and they believed
what He had said. Else they would not have thought of
asking each other, What manner of saying is this that He
said, Ye shall seek Me, and shall not find Me: and whither
I am, ye cannot come.
37. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come
unto me, and drink.
38. He that belie veth on me, as the Scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water.
39. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they
that believe on him should receive: for the Holy
Ghost was not yet given ; because that Jesus was not
yet glorified.)
Chrys. Chrys. The feast being over, and the people about to
Horn. 1. retum home, our Lord gives them provisions for the way: In
the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and
VEIL 37 39. ST. JOHN. -273
drink. Aug. The feast was then going on, which is called Au£-
scenopegia, i. e. building of tents. Chrys. Which lasted xxxii.i.
seven days. The first and last days were the most important;
In the last day, that great day of the feast, says the Evan-
gelist. Those between were given chiefly to amusements.
He did not then make the offer on the first day, or the
second, or the third, lest amidst the excitements that were
going on, people should let it slip from their minds, He cried
out, on account of the great multitude of people present.
Theophyl. To make Himself audible, inspire confidence in
others, and shew an absence of all fear in Himself Chrys. Chrys.
If any thirsteth : as if to say, I use no compulsion or violence : jj °1m'
but if any have the desire strong enough, let him come. Aug. Aug.
For there is an inner thirst, because there is an inner man: Tra.?t\
' xxxn.ll.
and the inner man of a certainty loves more than the outer.
So then if we thirst, let us go not on our feet, but on our
affections, not by change of place, but by love. Chrys. He Chrys.
is speaking of spiritual drink, as His next words shew: He^™'
that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water. But where does the
Scripture say this ? No where. What then? We should
read, He that helieveth in Me, as saith the Scriptu re, putting
the stop here; and then, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water: the meaning being, that that was a right
kind of belief, which was formed on the evidence of
Scripture, not of miracles. Search the Scriptures, He had
said before. Jerome. Or this testimony is taken from the Hierom.
Proverbs, where it is said, Let thy fountains be dispersed1? Pp~
abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Aug. The belly Prov. 5,
of the inner man, is the heart's conscience. Let him drink A "
from that water, and his conscience is quickened and purified; Tract.
xxxii. 4.
he drinks in the whole fountain, nay, becomes the very
fountain itself. But what is that fountain, and what is that
river, which flows from the belly of the inner man ? The love
of his neighbour. If any one, who drinks of the water,
thinks that it is meant to satisfy himself alone, out of his
belly there doth not flow living water. But if he does good
to his neighbour, the stream is not dried up, but flows.
Greg. When sacred preaching floweth from the soul of the Greg.
faithful, rivers of living water, as it were, run down from the p']^,
T Honi. \.
*274 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
bellies of believers. For what are the entrails of the belly
but the inner part of the mind ; i. e. a right intention, a holy
Chrys.1? desire, humility towards God, mercy toward man. Chrys.
Horn. TT • •
li, i. He says, rivers, not river, to shew the copious and overflow-
ing power of grace: and living water, i. e. always moving;
for when the grace of the Spirit has entered into and settled
in the mind, it flows freer than any fountain, and neither
fails, nor empties, nor stagnates. The wisdom of Stephen,
the tongue of Peter, the strength of Paul, are evidences of
this. Nothing hindered them ; but, like impetuous torrents,
Aug.], they went on, carrying every thing along with them. Aug.
xxxii 5, ^^at kind of drink it was, to which our Lord invited them, the
Evangelist next explains; But this He spake of the Spirit^
which they that believe on Him should receive. Whom does
the Spirit mean, but the Holy Spirit? For every man has
within him his own spirit. Alcuin. He promised the Holy
Spirit to the Apostles before the Ascension ; He gave it to
them in fiery tongues, after the Ascension. The Evangelist's
words, Which they that believe on Him should receive, refer
Aug. to this. Aug. The Spirit of God was, i. e. was with God,
Tract.
xii.6. before now; but was not yet given to those who believed on
XX
Jesus ; for oar Lord had determined not to give them the
Spirit, till He was risen again : The Holy Ghost was not yet
Chrys. given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. Chrys. The
li# 1/ Apostles indeed cast out devils by the Spirit before, but only
by the power which they had from Christ. For when He
sent them, it is not said, He gave them the Holy Spirit, but,
He gave unto them power. With respect to the Prophets,
however, all agree that the Holy Spirit was given to them :
Aug. but this grace had been withdrawn from the world. Aug.
TVk^c ^ et we reac^ °f Joriri tm3 Baptist, He shall be filled with the
xx. Holt/ Ghost even from his mothers womb. And Zacharias
T V 1
15# ' ' was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied. Mary was
filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied of our Lord.
And so were Simeon and Anna, that they might acknowledge
the greatness of the infant Christ. We are to understand
then that the giving of the Holy Spirit was to be certain,
after Christ's exaltation, in a way in which it never was
before. It was to have a peculiarity at His coming, which
it had not before. For we no where read of men under the
ver, 40 — 53. ST. john. -275
influence of the Holy Spirit, speaking with tongues which
they had never known, as then took place, when it was
necessary to evidence His coming by sensible miracles.
Aug. If the Holy Spirit then is received now, why is there no
one who speaks the tongues of all nations? Because now
the Church herself speaks the tongues of all nations. Whoso
is not in her, neither doth he now receive the Holy Spirit.
But if only thou lovest unity, whoever hath any thing in her,
hath it for thee. Put away envy, and that which I have
is thine. Envy separateth, love unites : have it, and thou
hast all things: whereas without it nothing that thou canst
have, will profit thee. The lore of God is sited abroad in Rom. 5,
our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to its. But
why did our Lord give the Holy Spirit after His resurrection?
That the flame of love might mount upwards to our own
resurrection : separating us from the world, and devoting us
wholly to God. He who said, He that beliereih in Me, out
of Ids belly shall flow rivers of living water , hath promised
life eternal, free from all fear, and change, and death. Such
then being the gifts which He promised to those in whom
the Holy Spirit kindled the flame of love, He would not give
that Spirit till He was glorified: in order that in His own
person He might shew us that life, wThich we hope to attain
to in the resurrection. Aug. If this then is the cause why Aug.
the Holy Spirit was not yet given; viz. because Jesus wasS,ont-
not yet glorified; doubtless, the glorification of Jesus when!, xxxii.
it took place, was the cause immediately of its being given.0, 1/'
The Cataphryges, however, said that they first received the
promised Paraclete, and thus strayed from the Catholic faith.
The Manichasans too apply all the promises made respecting
the Holy Spirit to Manichaeus, as if there were no Holy Spirit
given before. Chrys. Or thus; By the glory of Christ, He chn-s.
means the cross. For, whereas we were enemies, and <rifts Hom-
. . li. 2.
are not made to enemies, but to friends, it was necessary that
the victim should be first offered up, and the enmity of the
flesh removed; that, being made friends of God, we might be
capable of receiving the gift.
40. Many of the people therefore, when they heard
this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
t2
276 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
41. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said,
Shall Christ come out of Galilee ?
42. Hath not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh
' of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem,
where David was?
43. So there was a division among the people hecause
of him.
44. And some of them would have taken him; but
no man laid hands on him.
45. Then came the officers to the chief priests and
Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not
brought him?
46. The officers answered, Never man spake like
this man.
47. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also
deceived ?
48. Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees be-
lieved on him ?
49. But this people who knoweth not the law are
cursed.
50. Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to
Jesus by night, being one of them,)
51. Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him,
and know what he doeth ?
52. Thev answered and said unto him, Art thou also
of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth
no prophet.
53. And every man went unto his own house.
Aug. Aug. Our Lord having invited those, who believed in Him,
xxxiii l t0 drink of the Holy Spirit, a dissension arose among the
multitude: Many of the people therefore, when they heard
this saying, said, Of a truth this is the P/ophet. Theophyl.
The one, that is, who was expected. Others, i. e. the people
said, This is the Christ. Alcuin. These had now begun to
1 Nic. drink in that spiritual thirst1, and had laid aside the unbe-
water
ver. 40 — 53. st. john. '217
lieving thirst. But others still remained dried up in their
unbelief: But some said, Sliall Christ come out of Galilee?
Hath not the Scripture said, Tliat Christ ccmeth of the
seed of David, and- out of the town of Bethlehem, where
David icas? They knew what were the predictions of the
Prophets respecting Christ, but knew not that they all were
fulfilled in Him. They knew that He had been brought up at
Nazareth, but the place of His birth they did not know; and
did not believe that it answered to the prophecies. Chrys. Chrys.
But be it so, they knew not His birth-place: were they jj ™'
ignorant also of His extraction ? that He was of the house
and family of David? Why did they ask, Hath not the
Scripture said, that Christ cometh of the seed of David, f
They wished to conceal His extraction, and therefore put
forward where He had been educated. For this reason,
they do not go to Christ and ask, How say the Scriptures
that Christ must come from Bethlehem, whereas Thou comest
from Galilee? purposely and of malice prepense they do
not do this. And because thev were thus inattentive, and
indifferent about knowing the truth, Christ did not answer
them: though He had lauded Nathanael, when he said, Can
any good, thing come out of Nazareth? and called Hiin an
Israelite indeed, as being a lover of truth, and well learned
in the ancient Scriptures.
So there ivas a division among the people concerning Him.
Theophyl. Not among the rulers; for they were resolved
one way, viz. not to acknowledge Him as Christ. The more
moderate of them only used malicious words, in order to
oppose Christ's path to glory ; but the more malignant wished
to lay hands on Him: And some rf them (could have taken
Him. Chrys. The Evangelist says this to shew, that they chrys.
had no concern for, and no anxiety to learn, the truth. tig*'
But no man laid hands on Him. Alcuin. That is, because
He Who had the power to control their designs, did not
permit it. Chrys. This were sufficient to have raised some Ch
compunction in them; but no, such malignity believes u <Jn*
nothing; it looks only to one thing, blood. Arc They A
however who were sent to take Him, returned guiltless of the XXxhi.\.
offence, and full of admiration: Then came the officers to
the chief priests and Pharisees ; and they said unto them.
278 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
Why have ye not brought Him ? Alcuin. They who wished
to take and stone Him, reprove the officers for not bringing
Chrys. Him. Chrys. The Pharisees and Scribes profited nothing
1# " 'by seeing the miracles, and reading the Scriptures; but their
officers, who had done neither, were captivated with once
hearing Him ; and they who went to take hold of Him, were
themselves taken hold of by the miracle. Nor did they say, We
could not because of the multitude : but made themselves
proclaimers of Christ's wisdom : The officers answered, Never
Aug. man spake like this Man. Aug. He spoke thus, because He
xxxiiU.was both God and man. Chrys. Not only is their wisdom to
Chrys. ^e admired, for not wanting miracles, but being convinced by
l. His teaching only, (for they do not say, Never man did such
miracles as this Man, but, Never man spake like this Man,)
but also their boldness, in saying this to the Pharisees, who
were such enemies of Christ. They had not heard a long
discourse, bat minds unprepossessed against Him did not
Aug. require one. Aug. The Pharisees however rejected their
xxxiii .1. testimony : Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also
led away? As if to say, We see that you are charmed by
His discourse. Alcuin. And so they were led away; and
laudably too, for they had left the evil of unbelief, and
Chrys. were gone over to the faith. Chrys. They make use of
l. 'the most foolish argument against them: Have any of the
rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him f but this people
who knoweth not the law are cursed? This then was their
ground of accusation, that the people believed, but they
AuS- themselves did not Aug. TheY who knewT not the law,
Tract.
xxxiii.'i. believed on Him who had given the law, and they who
taught the law condemned Him; thus fulfilling our Lord's
c. 19,39. words, / am come, that they which see not might see, and
Chns. that they which see might be made blind. Chrys. How
i. then are thev cursed, who are convinced bvthe law? Rather
are ye cursed, who have not observed the law. Theophyl.
The Pharisees answer the officers courteously and gently;
because they are afraid of their forthwith separating from
tt •ys;.. them, and ioining Christ. Chrys. As thev said that none of
Horn. In. 'jo j
I. the rulers believed on Him, the Evangelist contradicts them:
. Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night,
Tract, being one of them.) Aug. He was not unbelieving, but
xxxiii. 1.
VER. 40— 53. ST. JOHN. 2/9
fearful ; and therefore came by night to the light, wishing to
be enlightened, but afraid of being known to go. He replies,
Doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know
what he doeth ? He thought that, if they would only hear Him
patiently, they would be overcome, as the officers had been.
But they preferred obstinately condemning Him, to knowing
the truth. Aug. He calls the law of God, our law; because
it was given to men. Chrys. Nicodemus shews that they Chrys.
knew the law, and did not act according to the law.,?0?1.
They, instead of disproving this, take to rude and angry
contradiction: They answered and said unto him, Art thou
also of Galilee? Aug. i. e. led away by a Galilean. Our Lord Aug.
was called a Galilean, because His parents were of the townx^^ii'<
of Nazareth; I mean by parents, Mary. Chrys. Then, by2-
way of insult, they direct Him to the Scriptures, as if He were Horn.'
ignorant of them ; Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth l,u 11;
no prophet : as if to say, Go, learn what the Scriptures say.
Alcuin. They knew the place where He had resided, but
never thought of enquiring where He was born; and therefore
they not only denied that He was the Messiah, but even that
He was a prophet. Aug, No prophet indeed ariseth out of Aug.
I roof
Galilee, but the Lord of prophets arose thence. xxxiii.
And every man went unto his own house. Alcuin. Having H«
effected nothing, devoid of faith, and therefore incapable of
being benefited, they returned to their home of unbelief and
ungodliness.
CHAP. VIII.
1. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2. And early in the morning he came again into the
temple, and all the people came unto him ; and he sat
down, and taught them.
3. And the Scribes and Pharisees brought unto
him a woman taken in adultery ; and when they had
set her in the midst,
4. They say unto him, Master, this woman was
taken in adultery, in the very act.
5. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned : but what sayest thou ?
6. This they said, tempting him, that they might
have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and
with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he
heard them not.
7. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up
himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin
among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8. And again He stooped down, and wrote on the
ground.
9. And they which heard it, being convicted by
their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning
at the eldest, even unto the last : and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw
none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where
are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned
thee?
11. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said
unto her, Neither do I condemn thee : go, and sin no
more.
VER. 1 — 11. GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 281
Alcuin. Our Lord at the time of His passion used to spend
the day in Jerusalem, preaching in the temple, and performing
miracles, and return in the evening to Bethany, where He
lodged with the sisters of Lazarus. Thus on the last day of
the feast, having, according to His wont, preached the whole
day in the temple, in the evening He went to the mount
of Olives. Aug. And where ought Christ to teach, except Aug.
on the mount of Olives: on the mount of ointment, on the *?£
A a AliU
mount of chrism. For the name Christ is from chrism, 3.
chrism being the Greek word for unction. He has anointed
us, for wrestling with the devil. Alcuin. The anointing
with oil is a relief to the limbs, when wearied and in pain.
The mount of Olives also denotes the height of our Lord's
pity, olive in the Greek signifying pity. The qualities of oil
are such as to fit in to this mystical meaning. For it floats
above all other liquids : and the Psalmist says, Thy mercy is ps. 144.
over all Thy works. And early in the morning. He came
again into the temple: i. e. to denote the giving and un-
folding of His mercy, i. e. the now dawning light of the New
Testament in the faithful, that is, in His temple. His
returning early in the morning, signifies the new rise of
grace. Bede. And next it is signified, that after He began
to dwell by grace in His temple, i. e. in the Church, men
from all nations would believe in Him: And all the people
came to Him, and He sat down and taught them, Alcuin.
The sitting down, represents the humility of His incarnation.
And the people came to Him, when He sat down, i. e. after
taking up human nature, and thereby becoming visible,
mauy began to hear and believe on Him, only knowing Him
as their friend and neighbour. But while these kind and
simple persons are full of admiration at our Lord's discourse,
the Scribes and Pharisees put questions to Him, not for the
sake of instruction, but only to entangle the truth in their nets :
And the Scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman
taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
they say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken in
adultery, in the very act. Aug. They had remarked upon Aug.
Him alreadv, as being over lenient. Of Him indeed it had lrac.f;
been prophesied, Ride on because of the word of truth, o/'s. 4.
1 it Ps 44
meekness, and of righteousness. So as a teacher He
282 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
exhibited truth, as a deliverer meekness, as a judge righteous-
ness. When He spoke, His truth was acknowledged; when
against His enemies He used no violence, His meekness was
praised. So they raised the scandal on the score of justice.
For they said among themselves, If He decide to let her go,
He will not do justice; for the law cannot command what is
unjust: Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned: but to maintain His meekness, which has
made Him already so acceptable to the people, He must
decide to let her go. Wherefore they demand His opinion :
And what sayest Thou ? hoping to find an occasion to accuse
Him, as a transgressor of the law: And this they said
tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him. But
our Lord in His answer both maintained His justice, and
departed not from meekness. Jesus stooped down, and with
d^Con. H*s finger wrote on the ground. Aug. As if to signify that
Evang. such persons were to be written in earth, not in heaven,
c. io.' where He told His disciples they should rejoice they were
written. Or His bowing His head (to write on the ground),
is an expression of humility; the writing on the ground
signifying that His law was written on the earth which bore
fruit, not on the barren stone, as before. Alcuin. The
ground denotes the human heart, which yieldeth the fruit
either of good or of bad actions: the finger jointed and
flexible, discretion. He instructs us then, when we see any
faults in our neighbours, not immediately and rashly to con-
demn them, but after searching our own hearts to begin with,
to examine them attentively with the finger of discretion.
Bede. His writing with His finger on the ground perhaps
shewed, that it was He who had written the law on stone.
So when they continued asking Him, He lifted Himself
Aug. up. Aug. He did not say, Stone her not, lest He should
xxxiii. seem t0 speak contrary to the law. But God forbid that He
5- should say, Stone her; for He came not to destroy that
which He found, but to seek that which was lost. What
then did He answer? He that is without sin among you,
let him first cast a stone at her. This is the voice of justice.
Let the sinner be punished, but not by sinners; the law
carried into effect, but not by transgressors of the law, Greg.
For he who judges not himself first, cannot know how to
VER. 1 — 11. ST. JOHN. 283
judge correctly in the case of another. For though He
know what the offence is, from being told, yet He cannot
judge of another's deserts, who supposing himself innocent,
will not apply the rule of justice to himself. Adg. Having Aug.
with the weapon of justice smitten them, He deigned notxxxiii*.
even to look on the fallen, but averted His eyes: And again0'
He slooped down, and wrote on the ground. Alcuin. This
is like our Lord; while His eyes are fixed, and He seems
attending to something else, He gives the bystanders an
opportunity of retiring: a tacit admonition to us to consider
always both before we condemn a brother for a sin, and
after we have punished him, whether we are not guilty
ourselves of the same fault, or others as bad. Aug. Thus Aug.
rr* ,
smitten then with the voice of justice, as with a weapon, Xxxiii".
they examine themselves, find themselves guilty, and one by s« 5«
one retire : And they which heard it, went out one by one,
beginning at the eldest*. Gloss. The more guilty of them,
perhaps, or those who were more conscious of their faults.
Aug. There were left however two, the pitiable1 and the Aug.
pitiful, And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing xx^jii.
in the midst: the woman, you may suppose, in great alarm, 5> ?•
expecting punishment from one in whom no sin could be et mise-
found. But He who had repelled her adversaries with the ncordia*
word of justice, lifted on her the eyes of mercy, and asked;
When Jesus had lifted Himself up, and saw none but the
woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are these thine
accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man,
Lord. We heard above the voice of justice; let us hear now
that of mercy: Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn
thee; I, who thou fearedst would condemn thee, because
thou foundest no fault in me. What then, Lord ? Dost Thou
favour sin? No, surely. Listen to what follows, Go, and sin
no more. So then our Lord condemned sin, but not the
sinner. For did He favour sin, He would have said, Go,
and live as thou wilt: depend on my deliverance: howsoever
great thy sins be, it matters not : I will deliver thee from
hell, and its tormentors. But He did not say this. Let
those attend, who love the Lord's mercy, and fear His truth.
Truly, Gracious and rigid en us is the Lord. Ps.35,7.
a Vulgate omits uvo rni avnihrwiui iX.i<y%oftivoi lu; ruv \<r-^a.ruv.
284 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
12. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I
am the light of the world : he that followeth me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Alcuin. Having absolved the woman from her sin, lest
some should doubt, seeing that He was really man, His
power to forgive sins, He deigns to give further disclosure
of His divine nature; Then spake Jesus again unto them,
saying, I am the Light of the world. Bede. Where it is to
be observed, He does not say, / am the light of Angels, or
of heaven, but the Light of the world, i. e. of mankind who
Lukei, iive m darkness, as we read, To give light to them that sit in
Chrys. darkness, and in the shadow of death. Chrys. As they had
Hom. DroUght Galilee as an objection against Him, and doubted
His being one of the Prophets, as if that was all He claimed
to be, He wished to shew that He was not one of the
Prophets, but the Lord of the whole earth: Then spake Jesus
again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: not
Aug. of Galilee, or of Palestine, or of Judaea. Aug. The Mani-
Tv r*4-
xxxiv*. chaeans suppose the sun of the natural world to be our Lord
*• Christ; but the Catholic Church reprobates such a notion;
for our Lord Christ was not made the sun, but the sun was
c l, 3. made by Him : inasmuch as all things were made by Him.
And for our sake did He come to be under the sun, being
the light which made the sun: He hid Himself under the
cloud of the flesh, not to obscure, but to temper His light.
Speaking then through the cloud of the flesh, the Light
unfailing, the Light of wisdom says to men, / am the Light of
the world. Theophyl. You may bring these words against
Nestorius : for our Lord does not say, In Me is the light of
the world, but, / am the Light of the world: He who
appeared man, was both the Son of God, and the Light of
the world ; not, as Nestorius fondly holds, the Son of God
Aug. dwelling in a mere man. Aug. He withdraws you however
Tract.
xxxiv. from the eyes of the flesh, to those of the heart, in that He
s- 5- adds, He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but
shall have the light of life. He thinks it not enough to say,
shall have light, but adds, of life. These words of our Lord
agree with those of the Psalm, In Thy light shall we see light;
for with Thee is the well of life. For bodily uses, light is one
's. 6i).
VER. 13 18. ST. JOHN. 285
thing, and a well another; and a well ministers to the mouth,
light to the eyes. With God the light and the well are the
same. He who shines upon thee, that thou mayest see Him,
the Same flows unto thee, that thou mayest drink Him. What
He promises is put in the future tense ; what we ought to do
in the present. He that follow eth Me, He says, shall have ;
i. e. by faith now, in sight hereafter. The visible sun ac-
companieth thee, only if thou goest westward, whither it
goeth also ; and even if thou follow it, it will forsake thee, at
its setting. Thv God is everv where wholly ; He will not
fall from thee, if thou fall not from Him. Darkness is to be
feared, not that of the eyes, but that of the mind ; and if of
the eyes, of the inner not the outer eyes ; not those by which
white and black, but those by which just and unjust, are
discerned. Chrys. Walketh not in darkness, i. e. spiritually Chrys.
abideth not in error. Here He tacitly praises Xicodemuslii#0™*
and the officers, and censures those who had plotted against
Him; as being in darkness and error, and unable to come to
the light.
13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou
bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though
I bear record of mvself, yet my record is true : for I
know whence I came, and whither I go ; but ye can-
not tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true : for I
am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17. It is also written in your law, that the testimony
of two men is true.
18. I am one that bear witness of mvself, and the
Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
Chrys. Our Lord having said, 1 am the Light of the world; Chrys.
Ti
and, he that followeth Me, walketh not in darkness, the,:- Q'
? 111.—.
Jews wish to overthrow what He has said : The Pharisees
therefore said unto Him, Thou bearest record of Thyself, Thy
record is not true. Alcuin. As if our Lord Himself were
286 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
the only (one that bore) witness to Himself; whereas the
truth was that He had, before His incarnation, sent many
Chrys. witnesses to prophesy of His Sacraments. Chrys. Our
jii % Lord however overthrew their argument : Jesus answered
and said, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is
true. This is an accommodation to those who thought Him
no more than a mere man. He adds the reason, For I
know whence I come* and whither I go ; i. e. I am God, from
God, and the Son of God: though this He does not say
expressly, from His habit of mingling lofty and lowly words
together. Now God is surely a competent witness to Him-
Aug. self. Aug. The wituess of light is true, whether the light
xxxv 6 snew itself, or other things. The Prophet spake the truth,
but whence had he it, but by drawing from the fount of
s.5. truth? Jesus then is a competent witness to Himself. For
I know whence I come, and whither I go: this has reference
to the Father; for the Son gave glory to the Father who
sent Him. How greatly then should man glorify the Creator,
who made Him. He did not separate from His Father,
however, when He came, or desert us when He returned:
unlike that sun which in going to the west, leaves the east.
And as that sun throw's its light on the faces both of him
who sees, and him who sees not; only the one sees with the
light, the other sees not: so the Wisdom of God, the Word,
is every where present, even to the minds of unbelievers ;
but they have not the eyes of the understanding, where-
with to see. To distinguish then between believers and
enemies among the Jews, as between light and darkness, He
adds, But ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
Tract. These Jews saw the man, and did not believe in the God,
xxxvi.3.ancl therefore our Lord says, Ye judge after the flesh, i. e. in
saying, Thou bear est record of Thyself, Thy record is not true.
Theophyl. As if to say: Ye judge untruly, according to the
flesh, thinking, because I am in the flesh, that I am flesh
Aug. onlv, and not God. Aug. Understanding Me not as God,
Tract . .
;'3 and seeing Me as man, ye think Me arrogant in bearing
XXXVI.
in Joan, witness of Myself. For any man who bears high testimony
to himself, is thought proud and arrogant. But men are
Chrys. frail, and may either speak the truth, or lie: the Light cannot
Hom. l. iie> Chrys. As to live according to the flesh is to live
VRR. IS— -18. ST. JOHN. 287
amiss; so to judge according to the flesh, is to judge un-
justly. They might say, however, If we judge wrongly, why
dost Thou not convict us, why dost Thou not condemn us?
So He adds, I judge no man. Aug. Which may be under- Aug.
stood in two ways; I judge no man, i. e. not now : as He ct.'
says elsewhere, God sent not His Son into the world tos.4.
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved: not that He abandons, but only defers, His justice.
Or having said, Ye judge according to the jlesh, He says
immediately, I judge no man, to let you know that Christ
does not judge according to the flesh, as men judged Him.
For that Christ is a judge appears from the next words, And
yet if I judge, My judgment is true, Chuys. As if to say : chrys.
In saying, I judge no man, I meant that I did not anticipate S0?'
judgment. If 1 judged justly, I should condemn you, but
now is not the time forjudging. He alludes however to the
future judgment, in what follows; For I am not alone, but I
and the Father that sent Me ; which means that He will not
condemn them alone, but He and the Father together. This
is intended too to quiet suspicion, as men did not think the
Son worthy to be believed, unless He had the testimony of
the Father also. Aug. But if the Father is with Thee, how Aug.
did He send Thee ? O Lord, Thy mission is Thy incarnation. xJxvi7
Christ was here according to the flesh without withdrawing
from the Father, because the Father and the Son are every
where. Blush, thou Sabellian ; our Lord doth not say, I
am the Father, and I the self-same person am the Son ; but,
/ am not alone, because the Father is with Me. Make a
distinction then of persons, and distinction of intelligences:
acknowledge that the Father is the Father, the Son the Son :
but beware of saying, that the Father is greater, the Son less.
Theirs is one substance, one coeternity, perfect equality.
Therefore, He says, My judgment is true, because I am the
Son of God. But that thou mayest understand how that the
Father is with Me, it is not for the Son ever to leave the
Father. I have taken up the form of a servant; but I have
not lost the form of God. He had spoken of judgment:
now He speaks of witness : It is also written in your laic,
that the testimony of two men is true. Aug. Is this made a
bad use of by the Manicrneans, that our Lord does not say,
288 00SPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
in the law of God, but, in your law? Who does not recog-
nise here a manner of speaking customary in Scripture ? In
your laiv, i. e. the law given to you. The Apostle speaks of
his Gospel in the same way, though he testifies to having
received it not from men, but by the revelation of Jesus
Aug- Christ. Aug. There is much difficulty, and a great m\stery
xxxvi. seems to be contained, in God's words, In the mouth of two
]?'j.i*or three witnesses, let every word be established. It is
Deut.10. ■'
possible that two may speak false. The chaste Susannah
was arraigned by two false witnesses : the whole people spake
against Christ falsely. How then must we understand the
word, By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every
word be established : except as an intimation of the mystery
of the Trinity, in which is perpetual stability of truth?
Receive then our testimony, lest ye feel our judgment. I
delay My judgment : I delay not My testimony : / am one
that beareth witnes of Myself, and the Father that sent Me
bearelh witness of Me. Bede. In many places the Father
Ps. 2. bears witness of the Son ; as, This day have I begotten Thee ;
Matt. 3, also, This is My beloved Son. Chrys. It is written in your law,
Chrys. t'iat ^e testimony of two men is true. If this is to be taken
Hom. literally, in what respect does our Lord differ from men ?
The rule has been laid down for men, on the ground that
one man alone is not to be relied on : but how can this be
applicable to God ? These words are quoted then with
another meaning. When two men bear witness, both to an
indifferent matter, their witness is true : this constitutes the
testimony of two men. But if one of them bear witness to
himself, then they are no longer two witnesses. Thus our
Lord means to shew that He is consubstantial with the
Father, and does not need another witness, i. e. besides the
Father's. / and the Father that sent Me. Again, on human
principles, when a man bears witness, his honesty is sup-
posed ; he is not borne witness to ; and a man is admitted
as a fair and competent witness in an indifferent matter, but
not in one relating to himself, unless he is supported by
other testimony. But here it is quite otherwise. Our Lord,
though giving testimony in His own case, and though saying
that He is borne witness to by another, pronounces Himself
worthy of belief ; thus shewing II is all-sufficiency. He says He
VER. 19, 20. ST. JOHN. 289
deserves to be believed. Alcuin. Or it is as if He said, If
your law admits the testimony of two men who may be
deceived, and testify to more than is true ; on what grounds
can you reject Mine and My Father's testimony, the highest
and most sure of all ?
19. Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father?
Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father :
if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father
also.
20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he
taught in the temple : and no man laid hands on him ;
for his hour was not yet come.
Aug. Those who had heard our Lord say, Ye judge after Aug.
the flesh , shewed that they did so; for they understood Tract:.
what He said of His Father in a carnal sense: Tlien said\.
they tinto Him, Where is Thy Father? meaning, We have
heard Thee say, I am not alone, but I and the Father that
sent Me. We see Thee alone ; prove to us then that Thy
Father is with Thee. Theophyl. Some remark that this is
said in contumely and contempt; to insinuate either that He
is born of fornication, and knows not who His Father is ; or
as a slur on the low situation of His father, i. e. Joseph ; as
if to say, Thy father is an obscure, ignoble person ; why
dost Thou so often mention him? So because they asked the
question, to tempt Him, not to get at the truth, Jesus
answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father. Aug. As Aug.
if He said, Ye ask where is Thu Father? As if ye knewTrac<i:
u J xxxvn.
Me already, and I were nothing else but what ye see. Butn.
ye know Me not, and therefore I tell you nothing of My
Father. Ye think Me indeed a mere man, and therefore
among men look for My Father. But, forasmuch as I am
different altogether, according to My seen and unseen
natures, and speak of My Father in the hidden sense accord-
ing to My hidden nature ; it is plain that ye must first know
Me, and then ye will know My Father; If ye had known
Me, ye would have known My Father also. Chrys. He tells Chrys.
them, it is of no avail for them to say they know the Father, kj. 3."
u
290 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
Orig. if they do not know the Son. Origen. Ye neither know
l. in "Me, nor My Father : this seems inconsistent with what was
Joan, in saic| ab0ve, Ye both know Me, and know whence I am.
prmc.
But the latter is spoken in reply to some from Jerusalem,
who asked, Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very
Christ ? Ye neither know Me, is addressed to the Pharisees.
To the former persons from Jerusalem however He said, He
that sent Me is true, Whom ye know not. You will ask then,
How is that true, If ye know Me, ye would know My Father
also f when they of Jerusalem, to whom He said, Ye know
Me, did not know the Father. To this we must reply, that
our Saviour sometimes speaks of Himself as man, and some-
times as God. Ye both know Me, He says as man : ye
£"£• neither know Me, as God, Aug. What does this mean : If
I ract. J
xxxvii. ye knew Me, ye would know My Father also, but, I and My
'' Father are one? It is a common expression, when you see
one man very like another, If you have seen him, you have
seen the other. You say this, because they are so like. And
thus our Lord says, If ye had known Me, ye had known My
Father also; not that the Father is the Son, but that the
Son is like the Father. Theophvl. Let the Avian blush: for
if, as he says, the Son be a creature, how does it follow that
he who knows the creature, knows God ? For not even by
knowing the substance of Angels, does one know the Divine
Substance ? Forasmuch therefore as he who knows the Son,
knows the Father, it is certain that the Son is con substantial
Aug. with the Father. Aug. This word perhaps0 is used only
Tract ■
xxxviii. by way °f rebuke, though it seems to express doubt. As
8- 3- used by men indeed it is the expression of doubt, but He
who knew all things could only mean by that doubt to
rebuke unbelief. Nay, even we sometimes say perhaps,
when they are certain of a thing, e. g. when you are angry
with your slave, and say, Do not you heed me ? Consider,
perhaps I am your master. So our Lord's doubt is a reproof
to the unbelievers, when He says, Ye should have known
Orig. perhaps My Father also. Origen. It is proper to observe,
1 1^ "that the followers of other sects think this text proves clearly,
Joan, in that the God, whom the Jews worshipped, was not the Father
of Christ. For if, say they, our Saviour said this to the
c forsitan in Vulgate, before %hirt av.
VER. 19, 20. ST. JOHN. 291
Pharisees, who worshipped God as the Governor of the world,
it is evident that the Father of Jesus, whom the Pharisees knew
not, was a different person from the Creator. But they do not
observe that this is a usual manner of speaking in Scripture.
Though a man may know the existence of God, and have
learned from the Father that He only must be worshipped,
yet if his life is not good, he is said not to have the know-
ledge of God. Thus the sons of Eli, on account of their
wickedness, are said not to have known God. And thus
again the Pharisees did not know the Father ; because they
did not live according to their Creator's command. And
there is another thing meant too by knowing God, different
from merely believing in Him. It is said, Be still then, andVs. 45,
know that I am God. And this, it is certain, was written
for a people that believed in the Creator. But to know by
believing, and believe simply, are different things. To the
Pharisees, to whom He says, Ye neither know Me, nor My
Father, He could with right have said, Ye do not even
believe in My Father ; for he who denies the Son, has not
the Father, either by faith or knowledge. But Scripture
gives us another sense of knowing a thing, viz. being joined
to that thing. Adam knew his wife, when he was joined to
her. And if he who is joined to a woman knows that
woman, he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, and knows
the Lord. And in this sense the Pharisees neither knew the
Father, nor the Son. But may not a man know God, and
yet not know the Father? Yes; these are two different con-
ceptions. And therefore among an infinite number of
prayers offered up in the Law, we do not find any one
addressed to God the Father. They only pray to Him as
God and Lord ; in order not to anticipate the grace shed by
Jesus over the whole world, calling all men to the Sonship,
according to the Psalm, / will declare Thy name unto my
brethren.
These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in
the temple. Alcuin. Treasury (Gazophylacium) : Gaza is
the Persian for wealth: phylattein is to keep. It wras a place
in the temple, where the money was kept. Chrys. He spake Chrjs.
in the temple magisterially, and now He was speaking to j-j-"?'
those who railed at and accused Him, for making Himself
u 2
292 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
Aug. equal to the Father. Aug. Great however is His confidence
xxxvii. aud fearlessness: it not being possible that He should
8- undergo any suffering, but that which He voluntarily under-
took. Wherefore it follows, And no man laid hands on Him,
for His hour was not yet come. Some, when they hear this,
think Christ to have been under the control of fate. But if
fate comes from the verb fari, to speak, as some derive it,
how can the Word of God be under the control of fate?
Where are the fates? In the heavens, you say, in the courses
and revolutions of the stars. How then can fate have power
over Him, by Whom the heavens and stars were made; when
even thy will, if thou exert it aright, transcends the stars ?
Dost thou think that because the flesh of Christ was placed
beneath the heavens, that therefore His power was subjected
to the heavens ? His hoar then had not yet come; i. e. the
hour, not on which he should be obliged to die, but on
Orig. which He should deign to be put to death. Origen. When-
in Joan.' ever it is added, Jesus spoke these words in such a place,
you will, if you attend, discover a meaning in the addition.
ya&jpu The treasury was a place for keeping the money, which was
given for the honour of God, and the support of the poor.
The coins are the divine words, stamped with the likeness
of the great King. In this sense then let every one contribute
to the edification of the Church, carrying into that spiritual
treasury all that he can collect, to the honour of God, and
the common good. But while all were thus contributing to
the treasury of the temple, it was especially the office of Jews
to contribute his gifts, which were the words of eternal life.
While Jesus therefore was speaking in the treasury, no one
laid hands on Him; His discourse being stronger than those
who wished to take Him; for there is no weakness in that
which the Word of God utters. Bede. Or thus; Christ
speaks in the treasury ; i. e. He had spoken in parables to
the Jews ; but now that He unfolded heavenly things to His
disciples, His treasury began to be opened, which was the
meaning of the treasury being joined to the temple; all that
the Law and the Prophets had foretold in figure, appertained
to our Lord.
21. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way,
VEH. 21 24. ST. JOHN. 293
and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins :
whither I go, ye cannot come.
22. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself?
because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.
23. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath ;
I am from above : ye are of this world, I am not of
this world.
24. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in
your sins : for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall
die in your sins.
Aug. In accordance with what was just, He said that no man Aug.
laid hands on Him, because His hour icas not yet come; He Tract.*..
now speaks to the Jews of His passion, as a free, and not a 2.
compulsory sacrifice on His part: Then said Jesus again
unto them, I go My way. Death to our Lord was a return
to the place whence He had come. Bede. The connexion of
these words is such, that they might have been spoken at one
place and one time, or at another place and another time :
as either nothing at all, or some things, or many may have
intervened. Okigen. But some one will object: If this Orig.
was spoken to men who persisted in unbelief, how is it HefomT,xlx#
r i m Joan.
says, Ye shall seek 3/e? For to seek Jesus is to seek truth s. 3.
and wisdom. You will answer that it was said of His
persecutors, that they sought to take Him. There are
different ways of seeking Jesus. All do not seek Him for
their health and profit: and only they who seek Hi in aright,
find peace. And they are said to seek Him aright, who seek
the Word which was in the beginning with God, in order
that He may lead them to the Father. Aug. Ye shall seek Aug>
Me, then, He says, not from compassionate regret, but from Trac^-.
hatred: for after He had departed from the eyes of men, 2.
He was sought for both by those who hated, and those who
loved Him: the one wanting to persecute, the other to have
His presence. And that ye may not think that ye shall seek
Me in a good sense, I tell you, Ye shall die in your sin. This ^^t/«
is to seek Christ amiss, to die in one's sin : this is to hate fnu^r
Him, from Whom alone cometh salvation. He pronounces Transl.
sentence on them prophetically, that they shall die in their
294 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
sins. Bede. Note: sin is in the singular number, your in
the plural ; to express one and the same wickedness in all.
Orig. Origen. But I ask, as it is said below that many believed
in Joan! on Him, whether He speaks to all present, when He says,
s. 3. ye shall die in your sins .? No : He speaks to those only,
whom He knew would not believe, and would therefore die
in their sins, not being able to follow Him. Whither I go,
He says, ye cannot come ; i. e. there where truth and wisdom
are, for with them Jesus dwells. They cannot, He says,
because they will not: for had they wished, He could not
Aug. reasonablv have said, Ye shall die in your sin. Aug. This
xxvhi*. He tells His disciples in another place; without saying to
s- 2- them, however, Ye shall die in your sin, He only says,
Whither I go, ye cannot follow Me novo; not preventing, but
Orig. only delaying their coming. Origen. The Word, while
3. "still present, yet threatens to depart. So long as we preserve
the seeds of truth implanted in our minds, the Word of God
does not depart from us. But if we fall into wickedness,
then He says to us, I go away; and when we seek Him, we
shall not find Him, but shall die in our sin, die caught in
our sin, But we should not pass over without notice the ex-
pression itself: Ye shall die in your sins. If ye shall die be
understood in the ordinarv sense, it is manifest that sinners
die in their sins, the righteous in their righteousness. But if
we understand it of death in the sense of sin; then the mean-
ing is, that not their bodies, but their souls were sick unto
death. The Physician seeing them thus grievously sick, says,
Ye shall die in your sins. And this is evidently the meaning
of the words, Whither I go ye cannot come. For when a man
dies in his sin, he cannot go where Jesus goes: no dead man
Ps. 113. can follow Jesus: The dead praise not Thee, O Lord. Aug.
Tract. They take these words, as they generally do, in a carnal sense,
xxxviii. amj as]£j ri7// He km Himself, because He saith, Whither
I go, ye cannot come ? A foolish question. For why ? Could
they not go where He went, if He killed Himself? Were
they never to die themselves? Whither I go, then, He says;
meaning not His departure at death, but where He went after
death. Theophyl. He shews here that He will rise again
Orig. in glory, and sit at the right hand of God. Origen'. May
in^oan! tne.v n0t n°wever nave A higher meaning in saying this?
B. 4.
VER. 21 — 24. ST. JOHN. 295
For they had opportunities of knowing many things from
their apocryphal books or from tradition. As then there was
a prophetical tradition, that Christ was to be born at
Bethlehem, so there may have been a tradition also respecting
His death, viz. that He would depart from this life in the way
which He declares, No man taketli it from Me, but I lay it down c.io,i8.
of Myself . So then the question, Will He kill Himself, is not
to be taken in its obvious sense, but as referring to some Jewish
tradition about Christ. For His saying, I go My way, shews
that He had power over His own death, and departure from
the body; so that these were voluntary on His part. But I
think that they bring forward this tradition which had come
down to them, on the death of Christ, contemptuously, and
not with any view to give Him glory. Will He kill Himself?
say they: whereas, they ought to have used a loftier way of
speaking, and have said, Will His soul wait His pleasure,
to depart from His body ? Our Lord answers, Ye are from
beneath, i. e. ye love earth; your hearts are not raised
upwards. He speaks to them as earthly men, for their
thoughts were earthly. Chrys. As if to say, No wonder Chrys.
that ye think as ye do, seeing ye are carnal, and understand,11.011}'
nothing spiritually. / am from above. Aug. From whom Aug.
above ? From the Father Himself, Who is above all. Ye ^^^xxxviii.
of this world, I am not of this world. How could He be of4-
the world, by Whom the world was made ? Bede. And
Who was before the world, whereas they were of the world,
having been created after the world had begun to exist.
Chrys. Or He says, / am not of this world, with reference Chrys.
to worldly and vain thoughts. Theophyl. T affect nothing^0™'
worldly, nothing earthly: I could never come to such mad-
ness as to kill Myself. Apollinarius, however, falsely infers
from these words, that our Lord's body was not of this world,
but came down from heaven. Did the Apostles then, to
whom our Lord says below, Ye are not of this world, derive c.15,19.
all of them their bodies from heaven ? in saying then, / am
not of this world, He must be understood to mean, I am not
of the number of you, who mind earthly things. Origen. Orig.
Beneath, and, of this world, are different things. Beneath, ^f^
refers to a particular place ; this material world embraces s. 6.
296 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
different tracts'1, which all are beneath, as compared with
things immaterial and invisible, but, as compared with one
another, some beneath, some above. Where the treasure of
each is, there is his heart also. If a man then lay up treasure
upon earth, he is beneath: if any man lay up treasure in
heaven, he is above; yea, ascends above all hearers, attains
to a most blissful end. And again, the love of this world
makes a man of this world : whereas he who loveth not the
world, neither the things that are in the world, is not of the
world. Yet is there beyond this world of sense, another
world, in which are things invisible, the beauty of which shall
the pure in heart behold, yea, the First-born of every creature
may be called the world, insomuch as He is absolute wisdom,
and in wisdom all things were made. In Him therefore was
the whole world, differing from the material world, in so far
1 ratio as the l scheme divested of the matter, differs from the subject
matter itself. The soul of Christ then says, i" am not of this
world; i. e. because it has not its conversation in this world.
Aug. Aug. Our Lord expresses His meaning in the words, Ye are
xxxviii.<2/* this world, i. e. ye are sinners, All of us are born in sin;
6* all have added by our actions to the sin in which we were
born. The misery of the Jews then was, not that they had
sin, but that they would die in their sin : / said there/ore
unto you, that ye shall die in your sin. Amongst the multi-
tude, however, who heard our Lord, there were some who
were about to believe ; whereas this most severe sentence
had gone forth against all : Ye shall die in your sin ; to the
destruction of all hope even in those who should hereafter
believe. So His next words recall the latter to hope : For
if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sin :
therefore if ye believe that I am He, ye shall not die in your
Chrjs. sin. Chrys. For if He came in order to take away sin, and
T-Tnm
liii# j[ a man cannot put that off, except by washing, and cannot be
baptized except he believe ; it follows, that he who believes
not must pass out of this life, with the old man, i. e. sin,
within him : not only because he believes not, but because
Aug. he departs hence, with his former sins upon him. Aug. His
xxxviii. saying, If ye believe not that I am, without adding any thing,
a
d e. g. earth beneath, sky above.
ver. 25— 27. ST. JOHN. 297
proves a great deal. For thus it was that God spoke to
Moses, I am that I am. But how do I understand, / cwzExod.3.
that I am, and, If ye believe not that I a?n ? In this
way. All excellence, of whatever kind, if it be mutable,
cannot be said really to be, for there is no real to be, where there
is a not to be. Analyze the idea of mutability, and you will find,
was, and will be ; contemplate God, and you will find, is,
without possibility of a past. In order to be, thou must leave
him behind thee. So then, If ye believe not that I am, means
in fact, If ye believe not that I am God; this being the con-
dition, on which we shall not die in our sins. God be
thanked that He says, If ye believe not, not, If ye under-
stand not ; for who could understand this ? Omgen. It is On'g.
manifest, that he, who dies in his sins, though he say that he i^j^n*
believes in Christ, does not really believe. For he who
believes in His justice does not do injustice ; he who believes
in His wisdom, does not act or speak foolishly ; in like
manner with respect to the other attributes of Christ, you
will find that he who does not believe in Christ, dies in his
sins: inasmuch as he comes to be the very contrary of what
is seen in Christ.
25. Then said they unto him, Who art thou ? And
Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said
unto you from the beginning.
26. I have many things to say and to judge of you :
but he that sent me is true ; and I speak to the world
those things which I have heard of him.
27. They understood not that he spake to them of
the Father.
Aug. Our Lord having said, If ye believe not that I am, Aug.
ye shall die in your sins ; they enquire of Him, as if wishing to ^llc%
know in whom they are to believe, that they might not dies. n.
in their sin: Then said they unto Him, Who art Thou? For
when Thou saidst, If ye believe not that I am, Thou didst
not add, who Thou art. But our Lord knew that these were
some who would believe, and therefore after being asked,
Who art Thou? that such might know what they should
believe Him to be, Jesus saith unto them, The beginning.
Tract.
xxxix.
Tract.
298 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
who also speak to you; not as if to say, / ant the beginning,
but, Believe Me to be the beginning; as is evident from
the Greek, where beginning is feminine. Believe Me
then to be the beginning, but ye die in your sins : for
the beginning cannot be changed ; it remains fixed in
itself, and is the source of change to all things. But it is
I, 2. absurd to call the Son the beginning, and not the Father
also. And yet there are not two beginnings, even as these
are not two Gods. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the
Father and the Son; not being either the Father, or the Sen.
Yet Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God, one Light,
one beginning. He adds, Who also speak to you, i. e.
II. Who humbled Mvself for vour sakes, and condescended to
* * *
those words. Therefore believe Me to be the beginning ;
because that ye may believe this, not only am I the begin-
ning, but I also speak with you, that ye may believe that I
am. For if the Beginning had remained with the Father in its
original nature, and not taken upon it the form of a servant,
how could men have believed in it ? Would their weakly
minds have taken in the spiritual Word, without the medium
of sensible sound ? Bede. In some copies we find, Who
also speak to you; but it is more consistent to read/or (quia),
not, icho (qui) : in which case the meaning is : Believe Me to
be the beginning, for for your sakes have I condescended to
Chrys. these words. Chrys. See here the madness of the Jews ;
liii. i] asking after so long time, and after all His miracles and
teaching, Who art Thou? What is Christ's answer ? From
the beginning I speak with you ; as if to say, Ye do not
deserve to hear any thing from Me, much less this thing,
Who I am. For ye speak always, to tempt Me. But I
could, if I would, confound and punish you: / have many
Aug. things to say, and to Judge of you. Aug. Above He said,
I judge no man; but, I judge not, is one thing, / have to
judge, another. / judge not, He says, with reference to
the present time. But the other, / have many things to say,
and to judge of you, refers to a future judgment. And I
shall be true in My judgment, because I am truth, the Son of
the true One. He that sent Me is true. My Father is true,
not by partaking of, but begetting truth. Shall we say that
truth is greater than one who is true? If we say this, we shall
Tract.
xxxix.
ver. 28 — 30. st. john. 299
begin to call the Son greater than the Father. Chrys. He Chrys.
says this, that they may not think that He allows them to \\n, j"
talk against Him with impunity, from inability to punish
them; or that He is not alive to their contemptuous designs.
Theophyl. Or having said, / have many things to say, and
to judge of you, thus reserving His judgment for a future
time, He adds, But He that sent Me is true: as if to say,
Though ye are unbelievers, My Father is true, Who hath
appointed a day of retribution for you. Chrys. Or thus: AsChl7s«
My Father hath sent Me not to judge the world, but to save mi. i.
the world, and My Father is true, I accordingly judge no
man now ; but speak thus for your salvation, not your con-
demnation : And I speak to the world those things that I
have heard of Him. Alcuin. And to hear from the Father
is the same as to be from the Father; He has the hearing
from the same sense that He has the being. Aug. The Aug.
coequal Son gives glory to the Father: as if to say, I givex^x'_
glory to Him whose Son 1 am : how proudly thou detractest s« 6.
from Him, whose servant Thou art. Alcuin. They did not
understand however what He meant by saying, He is true
that sent Me: they understand not that He spake to them of
the Father. For they had not the eyes of their mind yet
opened, to understand the equality of the Father w7ith the
Son.
28. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have
lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I
am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my
Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
29. And he that sent me is with me : the Father
hath not left me alone ; for I do always those things
that please him.
30. As he spake these words, many believed on
him.
Aug. When our Lord said, He is true that sent Me, the Aug.
Jews did not understand that He spake to them of the TJa^'
Father. But He saw some there, who, He knew, would
believe on Him after His passion. Then said Jesus unto
them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then ye shall
300 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
Exod. know that I am. Recollect the words, I am that I am, and
ye will know why I say, / am, I pass over your knowledge,
in order that I may fulfil My passion. In your appointed
time ye will know who I am ; when ye have lifted up the
Son of man. He means the lifting up of the cross; for He
was lifted up on the cross, when He hung thereon. This
was to be accomplished by the hands of those who should
afterwards believe, whom He is now speaking to ; with what
intent, but that no one, however great his wickedness and
consciousness of guilt might despair, seeing even the mur-
Chrys. derers of our Lord forgiven. Chrys. Or the connection is
UH12 *ms: When His miracles and teaching had failed to convert
men, He spoke of the cross ; When ye have lifted up the
Son of man, then ye shall know that I am He : as if to say,
Ye think that ye have killed Me ; but I say that ye shall
then, by the evidence of miracles, of My resurrection, and
your captivity, know most especially, that I am Christ the
Son of God, and that I do not act in opposition to God ;
But that as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things.
Here He shews the likeness of His substance to the Father's;
and that He says nothing beyond the Paternal intelligence.
If I were contrary to God, I should not have moved His
Aug. anger so much against those who did not hear Me. Aug.
T r « x 1
s.3. et' Or thus: Having said, Then shall ye know that I am, and in
se<i- this, I am, implied the whole Trinity: lest the Sabellian error
should creep in, He immediately adds, And 1 do nothing
of Myself ; as if to say, I am not of Myself; the Son is God
from the Father. Let not what follows, as the Father hath
taught Me, I speak these things^ suggest a carnal thought to
any of you. Do not place as it were two men before your
eyes, a Father speaking to his son, as you do when you
speak to your sons. For what words could be spoken to the
only Word ? If the Father speaks in your hearts without
sound, how does He speak to the Son ? The Father speaks
to the Son incorporeally, because He begat the Son incor-
poreally: nor did He teach Him, as having begotten Him
untaught; rather the teaching Him, was the begetting Him
knowing. For if the nature of truth be simple, to be, in the
Son, is the same as to know. As then the Father gave the
Son existence by begetting, so He gave Him knowledge also.
VER. 31—36. ST. JOHN. 301
Chrys. He gives now a humbler turn to the discourse: AndChrys.
He that sent Me. That this might not be thought however J??™]
to imply inferiority, He says, Is with Me. The former is
His dispensation, the latter His divinity. Aug. And though Aug.
both are together, yet one is sent, the other sends. For the
mission is the incarnation; and the incarnation is of the Son
only, not of the Father. He says then, He that sent Me,
meaning, By whose Fatherly authority I am made incar-
nate. The Father however, though He sent the Son, did
not withdraw from Him, as He proceeds to say : The Father
hath not left Me alone. For it could not be that where He
sent the Son, there the Father was not; He who says, IJUlJev. 33.
heaven and earth. And He adds the reason why He did
not leave Him : For I do always those things that please
Him; always, i. e. not from any particular beginning, but
without beginning and without end. For the generation
from the Father hath no beginning in time. Chrys. Or, He Chrys.
means it as an answer to those who were constantly saying thatjjj?"]
He was not from God, and that because He did not keep the
sabbath; I do always, He says, do those things that please
Him; shewing that the breaking the sabbath even was pleasing
to Him. He takes care in every way to shew that He does
nothing contrary to the Father. And as this was speaking
more after a human fashion, the Evangelist adds, As He spake
these words, many believed on Him; as if to say, Do not be
disturbed at hearing so humble a speech from Christ; for those
who had heard the greatest doctrines from Him, and were
not persuaded, were persuaded by these words of humility.
These then believed on Him, yet not as they ought; but
only out of joy, and approbation of His humble way of
speaking. And this the Evangelist shews in his subsequent
narration, which relates their unjust proceedings towards
Him.
31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed
on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed;
32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free.
30*2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
33. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed,
and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest
thou, Ye shall be made free?
34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35. And the servant abideth not in the house for
ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye
shall be free indeed.
Aug. Chrys. Our Lord wished to try the faith of those who
NicO believed, that it might not be only a superficial belief: Then
Horn. Said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye con-
liv. 1 "
Unite in My word, then are ye 3Iy disciples indeed. His
saying, if ye continue, made it manifest what was in their
hearts. He knew that some believed, and would not continue.
And He makes them a magnificent promise, viz. that they
shall become His disciples indeed; which words are a tacit
rebuke to some who had believed and afterwards withdrawn.
Aug. Aug. We have all one Master, and are fellow disciples
deVerb. un(jer Him. Nor because we speak with authoritv, are we
Dom. r n \
s. xlvii. therefore masters; but He is the Master of all, Who dwells in
the hearts of all. It is a small thing for the disciple to come
to Him in the first instance: he must continue in Him: if
we continue not in Him, we shall fall. A little sentence
this, but a great work; if ye continue. For what is it to
continue in God's word, but to yield to no temptations?
Without labour, the reward would be gratis; if with, then a
great reward indeed.
Aug. And ye shall know the truth. Aug. As if to say : Whereas
r,x ' 'ye have now belief, by continuing, ye shall have sight. For
xl. 9. it was not their knowledge which made them believe, but
rather their belief which gave them knowledge. Faith is
to believe that which you see not: truth to see that which
you believe? By continuing then to believe a thing, you
come at last to see the thing; i. e. to the contemplation of
the very truth as it is; not conveyed in words, but revealed
by light. The truth is unchangeable; it is the bread of the
soul, refreshing others, without diminution to itself; changing
VER. 31 36. ST. JOHN. 303
him who eats into itself, itself not changed. This truth is
the Word of God, which put on flesh for our sakes, and lay
hid ; not meaning to bury itself, but only to defer its mani-
festation, till its suffering in the body, for the ransoming of
the body of sin, had taken place. Chrys. Or, ye shall know Chrys.
the truth, i. e. Me: for I am the truth. The Jewish was a?on?*
typical dispensation; the reality ye can only know from Me.
Aug. Some one might say perhaps, And what does it profit Aug.
me to know the truth ? So our Lord adds, And the truth pom
shall free you; as if to say, If the truth doth not delight Serm.
you, liberty will. To be freed is to be made free, as to be \Xlv^.
healed is to be made whole. This is plainer in the Greek ; e»™
in the Latin we use the word free chiefly in the sense of
escape of danger, relief from care, and the like. Theophyl.
As He said to the unbelievers alone, Ye shall die in your sin,
so now to them who continue in the faith He proclaims
absolution. Aug. From what shall the truth free us, but Aug.
from death, corruption, mutability, itself being immortal, ^inec
uncorrupt, immutable? Absolute immutability is in itself 18.
eternity. Chrys. Men who really believed could have borne chrys.
to be rebuked. But these men began immediately to shew,?0™'
anger. Indeed if they had been disturbed at His former
saying, they had much more reason to be so now. For they
might argue; If He says we shall know the truth, He must
mean that we do not know it now: so then the law is a lie,
our knowledge a delusion. But their thoughts took no
such direction: their grief is wholly worldly; they know of
no other servitude, but that of this world: They answered
Him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to
any man. How sayest Thou then, we shall be made free?
As if to say, They of Abraham's stock are free, and ought
not to be called slaves: we have never been in bondage to
any one. Aug. Or it was not those who believed, but the Aug.
unbelieving multitude that made this answer. But howTr,xlu2,
could they say with truth, taking only secular bondage into
account, that we have never been in bondage to any man ?
Was not Joseph sold? were not the holy prophets carried into
captivity ? Ungrateful people ! Why does God remind you so
continually of His having taken you out of the house of bond-
age if you never were in bondage ? Why do you who are now
804 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
talking, pay tribute to the Romans, if you never were in
Chrys. bondage? Chrys. Christ then, who speaks for their good,
liv.i. not to gratify their vainglory, explains His meaning to have
been that they were the servants not of men, but of sin, the
hardest kind of servitude, from which God only can rescue:
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Who-
Aug. soever committeth sin is the servant of sin. Aug. This
3 r* x ' asseveration is important : it is, if one may say so, His
oath. Amen means true, but is not translated. Neither the
Greek nor the Latin Translator have dared to translate it.
It is a Hebrew word; and men have abstained from trans-
lating it, in order to throw a reverential veil over so
mysterious a word: not that they wished to lock it up, but
only to prevent it from becoming despised by being exposed.
How important the word is, you may see from its being
repeated. Verily I say unto you, says Verity itself; which
could not be, even though it said not verily. Our Lord how-
ever has recourse to this mode of enforcing His words, in
order to rouse men from their state of sleep and indifference.
Whosoever, He saith, committeth sin, whether Jew or Greek,
Greg, rich or poor, king or beggar, is the servant of sin. Greg.
c 42. in Because whoever yields to wrong desires, puts his hitherto
Nov» free soul under the voke of the evil one, and takes him for
Ex. 21.
his master. But we oppose this master, when we struggle
against the wickedness which has laid hold upon us, when
we strongly resist habit, when we pierce sin with repentance,
Greg, and wash away the spots of filth with tears. Greg. And
??v- . the more freely men follow their perverse desires, the more
c. 20. closely are they in bondage to them. Aug. O miserable
Nov? bondage ! The slave of a human master when wearied with
Ex. 14. the hardness of his tasks, sometimes takes refuge in flight.
But whither does the slave of sin flee ? He takes it along
with him, wherever he goes ; for his sin is within him. The
pleasure passes away, but the sin does not pass away: its
delight goes, its sting remains behind. He alone can free
from sin, who came without sin, and was made a sacrifice
for sin. And thus it follows: The servant abideth not in the
house for ever. The Church is the house: the servant is the
sinner; and many sinners enter into the Church. So He
does not say, The servant is, not in the house; but, The
VER. 31 — 36. ST. JOHN. 305
servant abideth not in the house for ever* If a time then is
to come, when there shall be no servant in the house; who
will there be there? Who will boast that he is mire from sin?
Christ's are fearful words. But He adds, The Son abideth
for ever. So then Christ will live alone in His house. Or
does not the word Sou, imply both the body and the head?
Christ purposely alarms us first, and then gives us hope.
He alarms us, that we may not love sin; He gives us hope,
that we may not despair of the absolution of our sin. Our
hope then is this, that we shall be freed by Him who is
free. He hath paid the price for us, not in money, but in
His own blood: If the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed. Aug. Not from the barbarians, but Aug.
from the devil; not from the captivity of the body, but from T)eomei "*
the wickedness of the soul. Aug. The first sta^e of freedom Ser-
XiVH
is, the abstaining from sin. But that is only incipient, it is au«*.'
not perfect freedom : for the flesh still lusteth against the sTuper
• it i*i Joan.
spirit, so that ye do not do the things that ye would. FullTr. xl.
and perfect freedom will only be, when the contest is over, '**
and the last enemv, death, is destroyed. Chrvs. Or thus: Chrys.
" • Horn
Having said that whosoever commit let h sin, is the servant liv j'2
of sin, He anticipates the answer that their sacrifices saved
them, by saying, The servant abideth not in the house for
ever, but the Son abideth ever. The house, He says, mean-
ing the Father's house on high; in which, to draw a com-
parison from the world, He Himself had all the power, just
as a man has all the power in his own house. Abideth not,
means, has not the power of giving; which the Son, who is
the master of the house, has. The priests of the old law had
not the power of remitting sins by the sacraments of the law;
for all were sinners. Even the priests, who, as the Apostle
says, were obliged to offer up sacrifices for themselves. But
the Son has this power; and therefore our Lord concludes :
//' the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed;
implying that that earthly freedom, of which men boasted so
much, was not true freedom. Aug. Do not then abuse your Aug.
' r I*
freedom, for the purpose of sinning freely; but use it in order 8
not to sin at all. Your will will be free, if it be merciful :
you will be free, if you become the servant of righteous-
ness.
x
306 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
37. I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye
seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in
you.
38. I speak that which I have seen with my Father :
and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is
our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abra-
ham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath
told you the truth, which I have heard of God : this
did not Abraham.
41. Ye do the deeds of your father.
Aug. Aug. The Jews had asserted they were free, because they
Tr. x n. were Abraham's seed. Our Lord replies, I know that ye
are Abraham 's seed; as if to say, I know that ye are the
sons of Abraham, but according to the flesh, not spiritually
Chrys. and by fauq1# go He adds. But ye seek to kill Me. Chrys.
Horn. i • -i i • -i
liv. 2. He says this, that they might not attempt to answer, that
they had no sin. He reminds them of a present sin; a sin
which they had been meditating for some time past, and which
was actually at this moment in their thoughts: putting out
of the question their general course of life. He thus removes
them by degrees out of their relationship to Abraham, teach-
ing them not to pride themselves so much upon it : for that,
as bondage and freedom were the consequences of works,
so was relationship. And that they might not say, We do
so justly, He adds the reason why they did so ; Because
Aug. My word hath no place in you. Aug. That is, hath not
i. " 'place in your heart0, because your heart does not take it in.
The word of God to the believing, is like the hook to the
fish; it takes when it is taken: and that not to the injury of
those who are caught by it. They are caught for their
Chrys. salvation, not for their destruction. Chrys. He does not
liv. 2*. say, Ye do not take in My word, but My word has not
room in you; shewing the depth of His doctrines. But
they might say ; What if thou speakest of thyself? So He
adds, I speak that which I have seen of My Father; for I
c capit Vulg. for %u£t7lv. Aug. goes off upon the Latin word.
VER. 37 — 41. ST. JOHN. 307
have not only the Father's substance, but His truth. Aug. Aug.
Our Lord by His Father wishes us to understand God: as^,'
if to say, I have seen the truth, I speak the truth, because I
am the truth. If our Lord then speaks the truth which He
saw with the Father, it is Himself that He saw, Himself
that He speaks ; He being Himself the truth of the
Father. Origen. This is proof that our Saviour wasorig.
witness to what was done with the Father: whereas men, to*oaVxx*
7 in Joan.
whom the revelation is made, were not witnesses. The-s.7.
ophyl. But when you hear, I speak that which I have seen,
do not think it means bodily vision, but innate knowledge,
sure, and approved. For as the eyes when they see an object,
see it wholly and correctly ; so I speak with certainty what I
know from My Father.
And ye do that which ye have seen ivith your father. Orig.
Origen. As yet He has not named their father; He men-^™'"*
tioned Abraham indeed a little above, but now He is going
to mention another father, viz. the devil: whose sons they
were, in so far as they were wicked, not as being men. Our
Lord is reproaching them for their evil deeds. Chrys.
Another reading has, And1 do ye do that which ye have seen1 9roit7r$,
with your father ; as if to say, As I both in word and deed^^'
declare unto you the Father, so do ye by your works shew
forth Abraham. Origen. Also another reading has; And Orig.
do ye do what ye have heard from the Father. All that wastom,xx*
written in the Law and the Prophets they had heard from
the Father. He who takes this reading, may use it to prove
against them who hold otherwise, that the God who gave the
Law and the Prophets, was none other than Christ's Father.
dAnd we use it too as an answer to those who maintain two
original natures in men, and explain the words, My word e.g.
hath no place in you, to mean that these were by nature
incapable of receiving the word. How could those be of an
incapable nature, who had heard from the Father*? And
how again could they be of a blessed nature, who sought to
kill our Saviour, and would not receive His words. They
answered and said unto Him, Abraham is our father. This
answer of the Jews is a great falling off' from our Lord's
d This is the meaning of the original; • The reading in Origen for, have
it is slightly altered in the Catena. seen with your father.
x 2
308 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIIL
meaning. He had referred to God, but they take Father in
Aug- the sense of the father of their nature, Abraham. Aug. As if
Tr. xlii. .
s. 3. 'to say, What art thou going to say against Abraham ? They
seem to be inviting Him to say something in disparagement
of Abraham ; and so to give them an opportunity of executing
Orig. their purpose. Origen. Our Saviour denies that Abraham
om. jx.js jjje*r father: Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's
Aug- children, ye would do the works of Abraham. Aug. And
4. ' yet He says above, 1 know ihat ye are Abraham's seed.
So He does not deny their origin, but condemns their deeds.
°rig- Their flesh was from him; their life was not. Origen. Or
2. etsq. we maJ explain the difficulty thus. Above it is in the Greek,
I know that ye are Abraham's seed. So let us examine
whether there is not a difference between a bodily seed and a
child. It is evident that a seed contains in itself all the
proportions of him whose seed it is, as yet however dormant,
and waiting to be developed; when the seed first has changed
and moulded the material it meets with in the woman, de-
rived nourishment from thence and gone through a process
in the womb, it becomes a child, the likeness of its begetter.
So then a child is formed from the seed : but the seed is not
necessarily a child. Now with reference to those who are
from their works judged to be the seed of Abraham, may we
not conceive that they are so from certain seminal propor-
tions implanted in their souls ? All men are not the seed of
Abraham, for all have not these proportions implanted in
their souls. But he who is the seed of Abraham, has yet
to become his child by likeness. And it is possible for him
by negligence and indolence even to cease to be the seed.
But those to whom these words were addressed, were not yet
cut off from hope : and therefore Jesus acknowledged that
they were as yet the seed of Abraham, and had still the
power of becoming children of Abraham. So He says, If ye
are the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. If
as the seed of Abraham, they had attained to their proper
sign and growth, they would have taken in our Lord's words.
But not having grown to be children, they cared not; but
wish to kill the Word, and as it were break it in pieces, since
it was too great for them to take in. If any of you then be
the seed of Abraham, and as vet do not take in the word of
VER. 37 41. ST. JOHN. 309
God, let him not seek to kill the word ; but rather change
himself into being a son of Abraham, and then he will be
able to take in the Son of God. Some select one of the
works of Abraham, viz. that in Genesis, And Abraham be-Gen.\b,
lieved God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. '
But even granting to them that faith is a work, if this were
so, why was it not, Do the work of Abraham: using the
singular number, instead of the plural? The expression as
it stands is, I think, equivalent to saying, Do all the works
of Abraham : i. e. in the spiritual sense, interpreting Abra-
ham's history allegorically. For it is not incumbent on one,
who would be a son of Abraham, to marry his maidservants,
or after his wife's death, to marry another in his old age.
But now ye seek to kill 31e, a man that hath told you the
truth. Chrys. This truth, that is, that He was equal to Chrys.
FT
the Father: for it was this that moved the Jews to kill Hirn.liv°™'
To shew, however, that this doctrine is not opposed to the
Father, He adds, Which I have heard from God. Alcuin.
Because He Himself, Who is the truth, was begotten of God
the Father, to hear, being in fact the same with to be from
the Father. Origen. To kill Me, He says, a man. I sayorig.
nothing now of the Son of God, nothing of the Word, because tom-xx*
the Word cannot die ; I speak only of that which ye see. It
is in your power to kill that which you see, and offend Him
Whom ye see not.
This did not Abraham. Alcuin. As if to say, By this you
prove that you are not the sons of Abraham ; that you do
works contrary to those of Abraham. Origen. It might orig.
seem to some, that it were superfluous to say that Abraham *°m,xx-
did not this ; for it were impossible that it should be ; Christ
was not born at that time. But we may remind them, that in
Abraham's time there was a man born who spoke the truth,
which he heard from God, and that this man's life was not
sought for by Abraham. Know too that the Saints were
never without the spiritual advent of Christ. I understand
then from this passage, that every one who, after regenera-
tion, and other divine graces bestowed upon him, commits
sin, does by this return to evil incur the guilt of crucifying
the Son of God, which Abraham did not do.
Ye do the ivorks of your father. Aug. He does not say Xrgiiii
6. '
310 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
Chrya. as yet who is their father. Chrys. Our Lord says this with
liv. 2. a view to put down their vain boasting of their descent; and
persuade them to rest their hopes of salvation no longer on
the natural relationship, but on the adoption. For this it
was which prevented them from coming to Christ; viz. their
thinking that their relationship to Abraham was sufficient for
their salvation.
41. Then said they to him, We be not born of for-
nication; we have one Father, even God.
42. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father,
ye would love me : for I proceeded forth and came from
God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43. Why do ye not understand my speech? even
because ye cannot hear my word.
Aug- Aug. The Jews had begun to understand that our Lord
Tr xlii . .
7. ' ' was not speaking of sonship according to the flesh, but of
manner of life. Scripture often speaks of spiritual forni-
cation, with many gods, and of the soul being prostituted,
as it were, by paying worship to false gods. This explains
what follows: Then said they to Him, We be not born of
fornication; we have one Father, even God. Theophyl.
As if their motive against Him was a desire to avenge God's
Orig. honour. Origen. Or their sonship to Abraham having been
tom. xx. ^proved, they reply by bitterly insinuating, that our Saviour
was the offspring of adultery. But perhaps the tone of the
answer is disputatious, more than any thing else. For
whereas they have said shortly before, We have Abraham
for our father, and had been told in reply, If ye are
Abraham^ s children, do the works of Abraham ; they declare
in return that they have a greater Father than Abraham, i. e.
God ; and that they were not derived from fornication. For
qui nihil the devil, who has no power of creating any thing from him-
facit ex ge|^ begets not from a spouse, but a harlot, i. e. matter, those
who give themselves up to carnal things, that is, cleave to
Chrys. matter. Chrys. But what say ye? Have ye God for your
Hom. patner5 and do ye blame Christ for speaking thus ? Yet
true it was, that many of them were born of fornication, for
c.
VEJR. 41— 43. ST. JOHN. 311
people then used to form unlawful connexions. But this is
not the thing our Lord has in view. He is bent on proving
that they are not from God. Jesus said unto them, If God
were your Father, ye would love Me : for I proceeded forth
and came from God. Hilary. It was not that the Son of Hilar.
God condemned the assumption of so religious a name; that^j- e
is, condemned them for professing to be the sons of God, and 30.
calling God their Father; but that He blamed the rash pre-
sumption of the Jews in claiming God for their Father, when
they did not love the Son. For I proceeded forth, and came
from God. To proceed forth, is not the same with to come.
When our Lord says that those who called God their Father,
ought to love Him, because He came forth from God, He
means that His being born of God was the reason why He
should be loved: the proceeding forth, having reference to
His incorporeal birth. Their claim to be the sons of God,
was to be made good by their loving Christ, Who was begotten
from God. For a true worshipper of God the Father must
love the Son, as being from Godf. And he only can love
the Father, who believes that the Son is from Him. Aug. Aug.
TV - 1*"
This then is the eternal procession, the proceeding forth of 8>r* x
the Word from God: from Him It proceeded as the Word
of the Father, and came to us: The Word was made flesh, c. l, u.
His advent is His humanity: His staying, His divinity. Ye
call God your Father; acknowledge Me at least to be a
brother. Hilary. In what follows, He teaches that His Hilar,
origin is not in Himself; Neither came I of Myself , hut He^'f'
sent Me. Origen. This was said, I think, in allusion to Orig.
some who came without being sent by the Father, of whom J0."1, "•
it is said in Jeremiah, / have not sent these prophets, yet they jer 93
ran* Some, however, use this passage1 to prove the ex-'^-
istence of two natures g. To these we may reply, Paul hated God
Jesus when he persecuted the Church of God, at the time, were
1 7 your
viz. that our Lord said, Why persecu test thou Me? Now Father,
if it is true, as is here said, If God were your Father, Act»9
ye would tore Me ; the converse is true, If ye do not love 4-
Me, God is not your Father. And Paul for some time did
1 The Sod is from God not hy reason men were of a good nature, being the
of His advent, but His nativity. creation of God, others evil, being
g Alluding to the belief that some made by the devil.
312 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VJII.
not love Jesus. There was a time when God was not Paul's
father. Paul therefore was not by nature the son of God,
but afterwards was made so. And when does God become
any one's Father, except when he keeps His commandments?
Chrys. Chrys. And because they were ever enquiring, What is this
liv. 3. which He saith, Whither J yo ye cannot come? He adds
here, Why do ye not understand My speech ? even because
Aug. ye cannot hear My word. Aug. And they could not hear,
9# "because they would not believe, and amend their lives.
°T]g- Origen. First then, that virtue must be sought after, which
torn ty
18.' hears the divine word; that by degrees we may be strong
^Nic.) enoUgh to embrace the whole teaching of Jesus. For so
long as a man has not had his hearing restored by the Word,
Mark which says to the deaf ear, Be opened: so long he cannot
7, 34.
hear.
44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts
of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own : for he is a liar, and the father
of it.
45. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me
not.
46. Which of you convinceth me of sin ? And
if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me ?
47. He that is of God heareth God's words:
ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of
God.
Chrys. Chrvs. Our Lord, having already cut off the Jews from
liv. 3. relationship to Abraham, overthrows now this far greater
claim, to call God their Father, Ye are of your father the
Aug. devil. Aug. Here we must guard against the heresy of the
r. x u. jkjanjc]3aBailSj wno hold a certain original nature of evil, and
a nation of darkness with princes at their head, whence the
devil derives his existence. And thence they say our flesh
is produced • and in this way interpret our Lord's speech,
VER. 44 — 47. ST. JOHN- 313
Ye are of you?' father the devil: viz. to mean that they
were by nature evil, drawing their origin from the opposite
seed of darkness. Origen. And this seems to be theOrig.
same mistake, as if one said, that an eye which saw right c
was different in kind from an eye which saw wrong.
For just as in these there is no difference of kind, only one
of them for some reason sees wrong; so, in the other case,
whether a man receives a doctrine, or whether he does not,
he is of the same nature . Aug. The Jews then were children Aug.
of the devil by imitation, not by birth : And the lusts of your ±1'*
father ye ivill do, our Lord says. Ye are his children then,
because ye have such lusts, not because ye are born of him :
for ye seek to kill Me, a man that hath told you the truth :
and he envied man, and killed him : he was a murderer from
the beginning ; i. e. of the first man on whom a murder
could be committed: man could not be slain, before man
was created. The devil did not go, girt with a sword, against
man : he sowed an evil word, and slew him. Do not suppose
therefore that you are not guilty of murder, when you suggest
evil thoughts to your brother. The very reason why ye
rage against the flesh, is that ye cannot assault the soul.
Origen. Consider too; it was not one man only that he 0rig-
v torn* xx«
killed, but the whole human race, inasmuch as in Adam 21.
all die; so that he is truly called a murderer from the be-
ginning. Chrys. He does not say, his works, but his lusts Chrys.
ye will do, meaning that both the devil and the Jewsjjv. 3]
were bent on murder, to satisfy their envy. And stood
not in the truth. He shews whence sprang their continual
objection to Him, that He was not from God. Aug. But Aug.
it will be objected perhaps, that if from the beginning of^-^j
his existence, the devil stood not in the truth, he was never c- 13.
in a state of blessedness with the holy angels, refusing, as
he did, to be subject to his Creator, and therefore false and
deceitful; unwilling at the cost of pious subjection to hold
that which by nature he was; and attempting in his pride
and loftiness to simulate that which he was not. This
opinion is not the same with that of the Manichaeans, that
the devil has his own peculiar nature, derived as it were
from the opposite principle of evil. This foolish sect does
not see that our Lord savs not, Was alien from the truth, but
314 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
Stood not in the truth, meaning, fell from the truth. And
1 John thus they interpret John, The devil sinneth from the beginning,
not seeing that if sin is natural, it is no sin. But what do
the testimonies of the prophets reply ? Isaiah, setting forth
the devil under the figure of the prince of Babylon, says,
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
Ezek. morning ! Ezekiel says, Thou hast been in Eden, the garden
28, 13. Qj Qoc/^ Which passages, as they cannot be interpreted in
any other way, shew that we must take the word, He stood
not in the truth, to mean, that he was in truth, but did not
remain in it; and the other, that the devil sinneth from the
beginning, to mean, that he was a sinner not from the
beginning of his creation, but from the beginning of sin.
For sin began in him, and he was the beginning of sin.
Orig. Oiugen. There is only one way of standing in the truth;
tom. xx. many an(j various of not standing in it. Some try to stand
in the truth, but their feet tremble and shake so, they cannot.
Others are not come to that pass, but are in danger of it, as
Ps. 72. we read in the Psalms, My feet were almost gone : others
fall from it. Because the truth is not in him, is the reason
why the devil did not stand in the truth. He imagined vain
things, and deceived himself; wherein He was so far worse
than others, in that, while others are deceived by him, he was
the author of his own deception. But farther; does the
truth is not in him, mean that he holds no true doctrine,
and that every thing he thinks is false; or that he is not a
c 14, 6. member of Christ, who says, / am the truth ? Now it is im-
possible that any rational being should think falsely on every
subject and never be even ever so slightly right in opinion.
The devil therefore may hold a true doctrine, by the mere
law of his rational nature: and therefore his nature is not
contrary to truth, i. e. does not consist of simple error and
ignorance; otherwise he could never have known the truth.
Aug. Aug. Or when our Lord says, The truth is not in him, He
Civ.Dei intends it as an index: as if we had asked Him, how it
c. xiv. appeared that the devil stood not in the truth; and He said,
Because the truth is not in him. For it would be in him, if
he stood in it.
When he speaketh a lie, he speahcth of his own : for he is
Aus- .. a liar, and the father of it. Aug. Some have thought from
X 1 • XllJ •
s. 12,13.
VER. 44 — 47. ST. JOHN. 315
these words that the devil had a father, and asked who was
the father of the devil. This is the error of the Manichaeans.
But our Lord calls the devil the father of a lie for this reason:
Every one who lies is not the father of his own lie; for you
may tell a lie, which you have received from another; in which
case you have lied, but are not the father of the lie. But the
lie wherewith, as with a serpent's bite, the devil slew man,
had no source but himself: and therefore he is the father of
a lie, as God is the Father of the truth. Theophyl. For he
accused God to man, saying to Eve, But of envy He hath
forbidden you the tree: and to God he accused man, as in
Job, Dot h Job serve God for nought9 Origen. Note how-j0bi,9.
ever; this word, liar, is applied to man, as well as to ^et^?"x
devil, who begat a lie, as we read in the Psalm, All men are 23.
liars. If a man is not a liar, he is not an ordinary man,
but one of those, to whom it is said, / have said, Ye arePs.si.
Gods. When a man speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own; but the Holy Spirit speaketh the word of truth and
wisdom; as he said below, He shall receive of Mine, and c. 16, 15.
shall shew it unto you. Aug. Or thus: The devil is notAug.de
a singular, but a common name. In whomsoever the works \ovVt
of the devil are found, he is to be called the devil. It is the Vet-
Test. 2
name of a work, not of a nature. Here then our Lord means 90.
by the father of the Jews, Cain; whom they wished to imi-
tate, by killing the Saviour: for he it was who set the first
example of murdering a brother. That he spoke a lie of
his own, means that no one sins but bv his own will. And
inasmuch as Cain imitated the devil, and followed his works,
the devil is said to be his father. Alcuin. Our Lord being
the truth, and the Son of the true God, spoke the truth; but
the Jews, being the sons of the devil, were averse to the truth ;
and this is why our Lord says, Because I tell you the truth,
ye believe not. Origen. But how is this said to the Jewsori?.
who believed on Him ? Consider : a man may believe in onetoJm'xx*
24.
sense, not believe in another; e. g. that our Lord was cru-
cified by Pontius Pilate, but not that He was born ol the
Virgin Mary. In this same way, those whom He is speaking
to, believed in Him as a worker of miracles, which they saw
Him to be; but did not believe in His doctrines, which were
too deep for them. Chrys. Ye wish to kill Me then, be- 2jJJ yn
- 3.
316 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
cause ye are enemies of the truth, not that ye have any fault to
find in Me: for, which of you convinceth Me of sin? The-
ophyl. As if to say: If ye are the sons of God, ye ought to
hold sinners in hatred. If ye hate Me, when ye cannot con-
vince Me of sin, it is evident that ye hate Me because of the
Orig. truth: i. e. because I said I was the Son of God. Origen.
hTjoan ^ b°hi speech this; which none could have had the coii-
s. 25. fidence to utter, but he Who did no sin ; even our Lord.
Greg. Greg. Observe here the condescension of God. He who
xviH1 in ^v vn'tue °f His Divinity could justify sinners, deigns to
Evang. shew from reason, that He is not a sinner. It follows: He
that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore hear litem
Aug. not, because ye are not of God. Aug. Apply this not to
iQt' 'their nature, but to their faults. They both are from God,
and are not from God at the same time; their nature is from
God, their fault is not from God. This wras spoken too to
those, who were not only faulty, by reason of sin, in the way
in which all are: but who it was foreknown would never
possess such faith as would free them from the bonds of sin.
Greg. Greg. Let him then, who would understand God's words,
ask himself whether he hears them with the ears of his heart.
For there are some who do not deign to hear God's com-
mands even with their bodily ears; and there are others who
do this, but do not embrace them with their heart's desire ;
and there are others again who receive God's words readily,
yea and are touched, even to tears: but who afterwards go
back to their sins again ; and therefore cannot be said to
hear the word of God, because they neglect to practise it.
48. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him,
Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast
a devil?
49. Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I
honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
50. And 1 seek not mine own glory; there is one
that seeketh and judgeth.
51. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my
saying, he shall never see death.
VER. 48 — 51. ST. JOHN. 317
Chrys. Whenever our Lord said any thing of lofty mean- Chrys.
ing, the Jews in their insensibility set it down madness : 1#
Then answered the Jews and, said unto Him, Say we not
well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Origen. Orig.
But how, we may ask, when the Samaritans denied a future 28. '
life, and the immortality of the soul, could they dare to call
our Saviour, Who had preached so much on the resurrection
and the judgment, a Samaritan ? Perhaps they only mean
a general rebuke to Him for teaching, what they did not ap-
prove of. Alcuin. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews;
they lived in the land that formerly belonged to the ten
tribes, who had been carried away. Origen. It is not un- Orig.
likely too, some may have thought that He held the Sama-2gm,xx
ritan opinion of there being no future state really, and only
put forth the doctrine of a resurrection and eternal life, in
order gain to the favour of the Jews. They said that He had
a devil, because His discourses were above human capacity,
those, viz. in which He asserted that God was His Father,
and that He had come down from heaven, and others of a
like kind : or perhaps from a suspicion, which many had,
that He cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.
Theophyl. Or they called Him a Samaritan, because He
transgressed the Hebrew ordinances, as that of the sabbath:
the Samaritans not being correct observers of the law. And
they suspected Him of having a devil, because He could
disclose what was in their thoughts. When it was that
they called Him a Samaritan, the Evangelist no where says:
a proof that the Evangelists left out many things. Greg. Greg.
See; when God suffers a wrong, He does not reply reproach- 3
xvni. in
fully: Jesus answered, I hare not a devil. An intimation thisEvanS-
to us, that when reproached by our neighbours falsely, we
should not retort upon them by bringing forward their evil
deeds, however true such charges might be; lest the vehicle
of a just rebuke turn into a weapon of rage. Chrys. Chrys.
And observe, when He had to teach them, and pull down i.°
their pride, He used roughness; but now that He has to
suffer rebuke, He treats them with the utmost mildness: a
lesson to us to be severe in what concerns God, but careless
of ourselves. Aug. And to imitate His patience first, if Aug« .
we would attain to His power. But though being reviled,]. i.
318 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
He reviled not again, it was incumbent on Him to deny the
charge. Two charges had been made against Him : Thou art a
Samaritan, and hast a devil. In reply He does not say, /
am not a Samaritan: for Samaritan means keeper; and He
knew He was a keeper: He could not redeem us, with-
out at the same time preserving us. Lastly, He is the
Samaritan, who went up to the wounded, and had compassion
Orig. on him. Origen. Our Lord, even more than Paul, wished
™*xx*to become all things tu all men, that He might gain some:
s# 29. and therefore He did not deny being a Samaritan. / have
not a devil, is what Jesus alone can say ; as He alone can
c. u,30 say, The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in
Me. None of us are quite free from having a devil. For
Aug- even lesser faults come from him. Aug. Then after being
3. so reviled, all that He says to vindicate His glory, is, But I
honour My Father : as if to say, That you may not think Me
arrogant, I tell you, I have One, Whom I honour. Theophyl.
He honoured the Father, by revenging Him, and not suffer-
ing murderers or liars to call themselves the true sons of
Orig. God. Origen. Christ alone honoured the Father perfectly.
29^ "No one, who honours any thing which is not honoured by
Greg. God, honours God. Greg. As all who have zeal toward
TT
xliii 3 ^0(^ are liaDh3 to meet with dishonour from wicked men,
our Lord has Himself set us an example of patience under
£ug'r. this trial; And ye do dishonour Me. Aug. As if to say, I
3. do my duty: ye do not do yours. Origen. And this was
rnS' not addressed to them only, but to all who by unrighteous
29. deeds inflict injury upon Christ, who is righteousness; or by
scoffing at wisdom wrong Him who is wisdom : and the like,
ut sup. G-REG, How we are to take injuries, He shews us by His
own example, when He adds, I seek not 3Iine own glory,
Chrys. there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Chrys. As if to say,
lv# i. I have told you thish on account of the honour which 1 have
for My Father; and for this ye dishonour Me. But I con-
cern not myself for your reviling: ye are accountable to
Orig. Him, for whose sake I undergo it. Origen. God seeks
' ' Christ's glory, in every one of those who receive Him :
which glory He fiuds in those who cultivate the seeds of
virtue implanted in them. And those in whom He finds
h i. e. that they had no right to call God their Father.
VER. 47 — 5]. ST. JOHN. 319
not His Son's glory, He punishes : There is one that seeketh
and judgeth. Aug. Meaning of course the Father. But Aug.
how is it then that He says m another place, The Father 4> '
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto thee. 5,22.
Son. Judgment is sometimes put for condemnation, whereas
here it only stands for trial: as if to say, There is one, even
My Father, who distinguishes My glory from yours; ye
glory after this world, I not after this world. The Father
distinguishes the glory of the Son, from that of all men : for
that He has been made man, does not bring us to a com-
parison with Him. We men have sin : He was without sin,
even when He was in the form of a servant; for, as the
Word which was in the beginning, who can speak worthily
of Him ? Origen. Or thus ; If that is true which our Saviour Orig.
says below, All men are thine, it is manifest that the judg-g0™""'
ment itself of the Son, is the Father's. Greg. As the per- (Nic)
versity of the wicked increases, preaching so far from giving q^'
way, ought even to become more active. Thus our Lord, Ho™\
after He had been accused of having a devil, imparts theEvaiig.
treasures of preaching in a still larger degree : Verily, verily,
I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never
see death, Aug. See is put for experience. But since, Aug.
T 15"*
about to die Himself, He spoke with those about to die, [J" vy1"
what means this, If a man keep My saying, he shall never
see death? What, but that He saw another death from which
He came to free us, death eternal, the death of the damned,
which is shared with the devil and his angels ! That is the
true death: the other is a passage only. Origen. We must Orig.
understand Him, as it were, to say, If a man keep My light, g°gjxx#
he shall not see darkness for ever ;for ever being taken as com-
mon to both clauses, as if the sentence were, If a man keep My
saying for ever, He shall not see death for ever : meaning
that a man does not see death, so long as he keeps Christ's
word. But when a man, by becoming sluggish in the
observance of His words, and negligent in the keeping of
his own heart, ceases to keep them, he then sees death; he
brings it upon himself. Thus taught then by our Saviour,
to the prophet who asks, What man is lie that liteth, andPs. 88.
shall not see death ? we are able to answer, He who keepeth chrys.
Christ's word. Chrys. He says, keep, i. e. not by faith, butHoin-
3*20 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
by purity of life. And al the same time too He means it as a
tacit intimation that they can do nothing to Him. For if
whoever keepeth His word, shall never die, much less is it
possible that He Himself should die.
52. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know
that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the
prophets; and thou say est, If a man keep my saying,
he shall never taste of death.
53. Art thou greater than our father Abraham,
which is dead? and the prophets are dead; whom
makes t thou thyself?
54. Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour
is nothing ; it is my Father that honoureth me ; of
whom ye say, that he is your God :
Db. Yet ye have not known him ; but I know him :
and if I should sav, I know him not, I shall be a liar
like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day :
and he saw it, and was glad.
ut sup. Greg. As it is necessary that the good should grow better
by contumely, so are the reprobate made worse by kindness.
On hearing our Lord's words, the Jews again blaspheme :
Then said the Jews unto Him, Now we know Tliou hast a
Orig. devil, Origen. Those who believe the Holy Scriptures,
Io1t1qqX' understand that what men do contrary to right reason, is not
done without the operation of devils. Thus the Jews thought
that Jesus had spoken by the influence of the devil, when
He said, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death.
And this idea they laboured under, because they did not know
the power of God. For here He was speaking of that death
i^oov of enmity to reason, by which sinners perish : whereas they
ry\'oyV understand Him of that death which is common to all ; and
therefore blame Him for so speaking, when it was certain
that Abraham and the Prophets were dead: Abraham is
dead, and the Prophets; and Thou say est, If a man keep My
saying, he shall never taste of death. Shall never taste of
VER. 52 — 56. ST. JOHN. 3*21
death, they say, instead of, shall not see death ; though
between tasting and seeing death there is a difference. Like
careless hearers, they mistake what our Lord said. For
as our Lord, in that He is the true bread, is good to taste ;
in that He is wisdom, is beautiful to behold ; in like manner
His adversary death is both to be tasted and seen. When
... »
then a man stands by Christ's help in the spiritual place ^^
pointed out to him, he shall not taste of death if he preserves f*i**>
that state: according to Matthew, There le those standing™*^
here, which shall not taste of death. But when a man hears Mat. 16,
28
Christ's words and keeps them, he shall not see death.
Chrys. Again, they have recourse to the vainglorious Chrys.
argument of their descent: Art Thou greater than our iv. i.'
father Abraham, which is dead? They might have said,
Art Thou greater than God, whose words they are dead who
heard? But they do not say this, because they thought Him
inferior even to Abraham. Origex. For they do not see Orig.
that not Abraham only, but every one born of woman, is less33
than He who was born of a Virgin. Now were the Jews
right in saying that Abraham was dead ? for he heard the
word of Christ, and kept it, as did also the Prophets, who,
they say, were dead. For they kept the word of the Son of
God, when the word of the Lord came to Hosea, Isaiah, or
Jeremiah ; if any one else kept the word, surely those
Prophets did. They utter a lie then when they say, We
know that TJiou hast a devil; and when they say, Abraham
is dead, and the Prophets. Greg. For being given over tout sup.
eternal death, which death they saw not, and thinking only, as
they did, of the death of the body, their minds were darkened,
even while the Truth Himself was speaking. They add :
Whom makest Thou Thyself? Theophyl. As if to say, Thou
a person of no account, a carpenter's son of Galilee, to take
glory to Thyself ! Bede. Whom makest Thou Thyself? i.e.
Of what merit, of what dignity wouldest Thou be accounted ?
Nevertheless, Abraham only died in the body; his soul
lived. And the death of the soul which is to live for ever,
is greater than the death of the body that must die some
time. Origen. This was the speech of persons spiritually Orig.
blind. For Jesus did not make Himself what He was, but*om-xx-
received it from the Father: Jesns answered and said, If I
Y
3'2*2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
Chrys. honour Myself, My honour is nothing. Chrys. This is to
liv | 2. answer their suspicions; as above, If I bear witness of My-
c- 5- self, My witness is not true. Bede. He shews in these
Aug. words that the glory of this present life is nothing. Aug.
14[ "This is to answer those who said, Whom makest Thou Thy-
self? He refers His glory to the Father, from Whom He is :
It is My Father that honoureth Me. The Arians take occa-
sion from those words to calumniate our faith, and say, Lo,
the Father is greater, for He glorifieth the Son. Heretics,
have ye not read that the Son also glorifieth the Father ?
Alcuin. The Father glorified the Son, at His baptism, on
the mount, at the time of His passion, when a voice came to
Him, in the midst of the crowd, when He raised Him up
again after His passion, and placed Him at the right
Chrys. hand of His Majesty. Chrys. He adds, Of whom ye say
lv. 2! thut He 25 your God; meaning to tell them that they were
not only ignorant of the Father, but even of God. The-
ophyl. For had they known the Father really, they would
have reverenced the Son. But they even despise God, who
in the Law forbad murder, by their clamours against Christ.
Wherefore He says, Ye hare not known Him. Alcuin. As
if to say, Ye call Him your God, after a carnal manner,
serving Him for temporal rewards. Ye have not known
Him, as He should be known ; ye are not able to serve Him
Aug. spiritually. Aug. Some heretics say that the God pro-
Tr xliii •
15#* 'claimed in the Old Testament is not the Father of Christ,
but a kind of prince of bad angels. These He contradicts
when He calls Him His Father, whom the Jews called their
God, and knew not. For had they known Him, they would
have received His Son. Of Himself however He adds, But
I know Him. And here too, to men judging after the
flesh, He might appear arrogant. But let not arrogance be
so guarded against, as that truth be deserted. Therefore
our Lord says, And if I should say I know Him not, I
Chrys. should he a liar like unto you. Chrys. As if to say, As ye,
Horn. saying that ye know Him, lie ; so were I a liar, did I say I
knew Him not. It follows, however, (which is the greatest
proof of all that He was sent from God,) But I know Him.
Theophyl. Having that knowledge by nature; for as I am,
v\\T£ OF Aff^l^^e Father also ; I know Mvself, and therefore I know
ST- MICHAEL'S A\
COLLEGE / § )
ver. 52—56. ST. john. 323
Him. And He gives the proof that He knows Him : And I
keep His saying, i. e. His commandments. Some under-
stand, i" keep His saying, to mean, I keep the nature of
His substance unchanged ; for the substance of the Father
and the Son is the same, as their nature is the same; and
therefore I know the Father. And here has the force of
because: i" know Him because / keep His saying. Aug. Aug.
He spoke the saying of the Father too, as being the Son ; 15>'x
and He was Himself that Word of the Father, which He
spoke to men. Chrys. In answer then to their question, Chrys.
Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, He shews themlv°^"
that He is greater than Abraham; Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see My day: he saw it, and was glad; he must
have rejoiced, because My day would benefit him, which is
to acknowledge Me greater than himself. Theophyl. As if
to say, He regarded My day, as a day to be desired, and
full of joy ; not as if I was an unimportant or common person.
Aug. He did not fear, but rejoiced to see: he rejoiced in Aug.
hope, believing, and so by faith saw. It admits of doubt j£*xim'
whether He is speaking here of the temporal day of the
Lord, that, viz. of His coming in the flesh, or of that day
which knows neither rising or setting. I doubt not however
that our father Abraham knew the whole : as he says to his
servant whom he sent, Put thy hand under my thigh, and Gen. 24,
swear to me by the God of heaven. What did that oath
signify, but that the God of heaven was to come in the flesh,
out of the stock of iibraham. Greg. Abraham saw the davGreg.
of the Lord even then, when he entertained the three Angels, xv £
a figure of the Trinity. Chrys. They are aliens fromE™Qg-
Abraham if they grieve over what he rejoiced in. By this Chrya
day perhaps He means the day of the cross, which Abraham liv. 2.
prefigured by the offering up of Isaac and the ram : inti-
mating hereby that He did not come to His passion un-
willingly. Aug. If they rejoiced to whom the Word appeared Aug.
in the flesh, what was his joy, who beheld in spiritual vision jj*x '"'
the light ineffable, the abiding Word, the bright illumination
of pious souls, the indefectible wisdom, still abiding with
God the Father, and sometime to come in the flesh, but not
to leave the Father's bosom.
324 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII,
57. Then said the Jews unto him. Thou art not yet
fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham ?
58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but
Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going
through the midst of them, and so passed by.
£re§- Greg. The carnal minds of the Jews are intent on the
Horn.
xviii. inrlesh only; they think only of His age in the flesh: Then
ango said the Jews unto Him, TJiou art not fifty years old, and
hast Tliou seen Abraham ? that is to say, Many ages have
passed since Abraham died ; and how then could he see thy
day? For they took His words in a carnal sense. The-
ophyl. Christ was then thirty-three years old. Why then
do they not say, Thou art not yet forty years old, instead of
fifty c- A needless question this : they simply spoke as
chance led them at the time. Some however say that they
mentioned the fiftieth year on account of its sacred character,
as being the year of jubilee, in which they redeemed their
captives, and gave up the possessions they had bought.
ut sup. Qreg. Our Saviour mildly draws them away from their carnal
view, to the contemplation of His Divinity; Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I
am. Before is a particle of past time, am, of present.
Divinity has no past or future, but always the present; and
therefore He does not say, Before x4braham was, I was: but,
Exod.3, Before Abraham ivas, I am : as it is in Exodus, / am
that I am. Before and after might be said of Abraham
with reference to different periods of his life ; to be, in the
present, is said of the truth only.
Aug. Aug. Abraham being a creature, He did not say before
Tr xliii*
18. Abraham, was, but, before Abraham teas made. Nor does
He say, I am made; because that, in the beginning wtas the
ut sup. Word. G.REG. Their unbelieving minds, however, were
unable to support these indications of eternity; and not un-
derstanding Him, sought to destroy Him: Then they look up
Aug. stones to cast at Him. Aug. Such hardness of heart,
^8r'xhn' whither was it to run, but to its truest likeness, even the
ver. 57 — 59. ST. john. 3*25
stones ? But now that He had done all that He could do
as a teacher, and they in return wished to stone Him, since
they could not bear correction, He leaves them : Jesus hid
Himself, and went out of the temple. He did not hide
Himself in a corner of the temple, as if He was afraid, or
take refuge in a house, or run behind a wall, or a pillar ; but
by His heavenly power, making Himself invisible to His
enemies, went through the midst of them: Jesus hid Him-
self, and went out of the temple. Greg. Who, had He
chosen to exert the power of His Divinity, could, without
a word, by His mere nod, have seized them, with the very
stones in their hands, and delivered them to immediate
death. But He who came to suffer, was slow to execute
judgment. Aug. For His part was more to exhibit patience Aug.
than exercise power. Alcuin. He fled, because His hour l8r,x ,n"
was not yet come ; and because He had not chosen this
kind of death. Aug. So then, as a man, He flies from the Auc
!g-
stones; but woe to them, from whose stony hearts God flies. Tr.xlhi.
Bede. Mystically, a man throws a stone at Jesus, as often as
he harbours an evil thought ; and if he follows it up, so far
as lies in him, he kills Jesus. Greg. What does our Lord ut sup.
mean by hiding Himself, but that the truth is hidden to
them, who despise His words. The truth flies the company
of an unhumbled soul. His example shews us, that we should
in all humility rather retreat from the wrath of the proud,
when it rises, than resist it, even though we might be able.
CHAP. IX.
1. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which
was blind from his birth.
2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master,
who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born
blind?
3. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned,
nor his parents : but that the works of God should be
made manifest in him.
4. I must work the works of him that sent me,
while it is day : the night cometh, when no man can
work.
5. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of
the world.
6. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground,
and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes
of the blind man with the clay,
7. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam, (which is by interpretation; Sent.) He went
his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Chrys. Chrys. The Jews having rejected Christ's words, because
lvi. l! °f their depth, He went out of the temple, and healed the
blind man; that His absence might appease their fury, and
the miracle soften their hard hearts, and convince their
unbelief. And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was
blind from his birth. It is to be remarked here that, on
going out of the temple, He betook Himself intently to this
manifestation of His power. He first saw the blind man,
not the blind man Him: and so intently did He fix His eye
upon him, that His disciples were struck, and asked, Rabbi,
VER. 1 7, GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 3'27
who did sin, this man or his parents, that he teas bom
blind? Bede. Mystically, our Lord, after being banished
from the minds of the Jews, passed over to the Gentiles.
The passage or journey here is His descent from heaven tononocc.
earth, where He saw the blind man, i. e. looked with com-
passion on the human race. Aug. For the blind man here Aug.
is the human race. Blindness came upon the first man byj \m
reason of sin: and from him we all derive it: i. e. man is
blind from his birth. Aug. Rabbi is Master. They call Aug.
T 1 "
Him Master, because they wished to learn: they put their] 2.
question to our Lord, as to a Master. Theophyl. This
question does not seem a proper one. For the Apostles had
not been taught the fond notion of the Gentiles, that the
soul has sinned in a previous state of existence. It is difficult
to account for their putting it. Chrys. They were led to ask Chrys.
this question, by our Lord having said above, on healing theiiv. 1.
man sick of the palsy, Lo, thou art made whole; sin no more. c- 5-
Thinking from this that the man had been struck with the
palsy for his sins, they ask our Lord of the blind man here,
whether he did sin, or his parents; neither of which could
have been the reason of his blindness; the former, because
he had been blind from his birth; the latter, because the
son does not suffer for the father.
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his
parents. Aug. Was he then born without original sin, or Aug.
had he never added to it by actual sin? Both this man andxiiVe3.
his parents had sinned, but that sin was not the reason why
he was born blind. Our Lord gives the reason ; viz. That
the works of God should be made manifest in him. Chrys. Chrys.
He is not to be understood as meaning that others 7*«o?lvi> 1 " 2.
become blind, in consequence of their parents' sins : for one
man cannot be punished for the sin of another. But had
the man therefore suffered unjustly ? Rather I should say
that that blindness was a benefit to him : for by it he was
brought to see with the inward eye. At any rate He who
brought him into being out of nothing, had the power to make
him in the event no loser by it. Some too say, that the
that here, is expressive not of the cause, but of the event, as
in the passage in Romans, The law entered that sin might Bam. 6,
abound; the effect in this case being, that our Lord by
328 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
opening the closed eye, and healing other natural infirmities,
Greg, demonstrated His own power. Greg. One stroke falls on
Moral. tne sinner, for punishment only, not conversion ; another for
c- 5- correction ; another not for correction of past sins, but pre-
vention of future ; another neither for correcting past, nor
preventing future sins, but by the unexpected deliverance
following the blow, to excite more ardent love of the Saviour's
Chrys. goodness. Chrys. That the glory of God should be made
liv. 2! manifest , He saith of Himself, not of the Father ; the
Father's glory was manifest already. / must work the works
of Him that sent Me: i. e. I must manifest Myself, and
shew that I do the same that My Father doeth. Bede. For
when the Son declared that He worked the works of the
Father, He proved that His and His Father's works were the
same: which are, to heal the sick, to strengthen the weak,
Au?- . and enlighten man. Aug. By His saying, Who sent Me,
4. " ' He gives all the glory to Him from Whom He is. The
Father hath a Son Who is from Him, but hath none from
Chrys. whom He Himself is. Chrys. While it is day, He adds;
M. 2. i- e. while men have the opportunity of believing in Me;
while this life lasts; The night cometh, when none can work.
Mat. 22, Night here means that spoken of in Matthew, Cast him into
outer darkness. Then will there be night, wherein none can
work, but only receive for that which he has worked. While
thou livest, do that which thou wilt do: for beyond it is
A^g. neither faith, nor labour, nor repentance. Aug. But if we work
5. 'now, now is the day time, now is Christ present; as He
says, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the
world. This then is the day. The natural day is completed
by the circuit of the sun, and contains only a few hours :
the day of Christ's presence will last to the end of the world:
Mat. 28, for He Himself has said, Lo, lam with you alway, even unto
Chrys. the end of the world. Chrys. He then confirms His words
Hom. by deeds : When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground,
and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind
man with the clay. He who had brought greater substances
into being out of nothing, could much more have given sight
without the use of any material: but He wished to shew
that He was the Creator, Who in the beginning used clay for
Hom. the formation of man. He makes the clav with spittle, and
Ivii. 1 .
VEU. I — 7. ST. JOHN. 3*20
not with water, to make it evident that it was not the pool of
Siloam, whither He was about to send him, but the virtue
proceeding from His mouth, which restored the man's
sight. And then, that the cure might not seem to be the
effect of the clay, He ordered the man to wash: And He
said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. The
Evangelist gives the meaning of Siloam, which is by inter-
pretation, Sent, to intimate that it was Christ's power that
cured him even there. As the Apostle says of the rock in
the wilderness, that that Rock was Christ, so Siloam had a l Cor.
spiritual character: the sudden rise of its water being a '
silent figure of Christ's unexpected manifestation in the flesh.
But why did He not tell him to wash immediately, instead
of sending him to Siloam? That the obstinacy of the Jews
might be overcome, when they saw him going there with the
clay on his eyes. Besides which, it proved that He was
not averse to the Law, and the Old Testament. And there
was no fear of the glory of the case being given to Siloam :
as many had washed their eyes there, and received no such
benefit. And to shew the faith of the blind man, who
made no opposition, never argued with himself, that it was
the quality of clay rather to darken, than give light, that He
had often washed in Siloam, and had never been benefited ;
that if our Lord had the power, He might have cured him by
His word ; but simply obeyed : he went his way therefore,
and washed, and came seeing. Thus our Lord manifested Hom.
His glory : and no small glory it was, to be proved the Creator lv1, 2-
of the world, as He was proved to be by this miracle. For
on the principle that the greater contains the less, this act of
creation included in it every other. Man is the most honour-
able of all creatures ; the eye the most honourable member of
man, directing the movements, and giving him sight. The eye
is to the body, what the sun is to the universe; and therefore
it is placed aloft, as it were, upon a royal eminence. The-
ophyl. Some think that the clay was not laid upon the eyes,
but made into eyes. Aug. Our Lord spat upon the ground, Aug.
and made clay of the spittle, because He was the Word made Tr* xlv*
flesh. The man did not see immediately as he was anointed;
i. c. was, as it were, only made a catechumen. But he was
330 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
sent to the pool which is called Siloam, i. e. he was baptized
in Christ; and then he was enlightened. The Evangelist
then explains to us the name of this pool: which is by inter-
pretation, Sent: for, if He had not been sent, none of us
Greg, would have been delivered from our sins. Greg. Or thus :
Moral. By His spittle understand the savour of inward contempla-
c. xxx. tion. It runs down from the head into the mouth, and gives
(49.) .
us the taste of revelation from the Divine splendour even in
this life. The mixture of His spittle with clay is the mix-
ture of supernatural grace, even the contemplation of Him-
self with our carnal knowledge, to the soul's enlightenment,
and restoration of the human understanding from its original
blindness.
8. The neighbours therefore, and they which before
had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he
that sat and beggedj*
9. Some said, This is he : others said, He is like
him : but he said, I am he.
10. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine
eyes opened?
11. He answered and said, A man that is called
Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said
unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wTash: and I
went and washed, and I received sight.
12. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He
said, I know not.
13. They brought to the Pharisees him that afore-
time wTas blind.
14. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made
the clay, and opened his eyes.
15. Then ao-ain the Pharisees also asked him how
he had received his sight. He said unto them, He
put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
16. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This
man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath
VER. 8—17. ST. JOHN. 331
day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner
do such miracles? And there was a division among
them.
17. They say unto the blind man again, What
sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes ?
He said, He is a prophet.
Chrys. The suddenness of the miracle made men incre- Chrys.
dulous : The neighbours therefore, and they which had seen F°m*
him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and
begged? Wonderful clemency and condescension of God !
Even the beggars He heals with so great considerateness :
thus stopping the mouths of the Jews; in that He made not
the great, illustrious, and noble, but the poorest and meanest,
the objects of His providence. Indeed He had come for
the salvation of all. Some said, This is he. The blind man
having been clearly recognised in the course of his long walk
to the pool ; the more so, as people's attention was drawn by
the strangeness of the event; men could no longer say,
This is not he; Others said, Nay, but he is like him. Aug. Aug.
His eyes being opened had altered his look. But he said,8t '
I am he. He spoke gratefully ; a denial would have convicted
Him of ingratitude. Chrys. He was not ashamed of hischrys.
former blindness, nor afraid of the fury of the people, norH.?m-
averse to shew himself, and proclaim his Benefactor. Therefore
said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? How they
were, neither he nor any one knew : he only knew the fact ; he
could not explain it. He answered and said, A man that is
called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes. Mark his
exactness. He does not say how the clay was made ; for he
could not see that our Lord spat on the ground; he does not say
what he does not know; but that He anointed him he could feel.
And said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash. This
too he could declare from his own hearing ; for he had heard
our Lord converse with His disciples, and so knew His
voice. Lastly, he shews how strictly he had obeyed our
Lord. He adds, And I went, and washed, and received
sight. Aug. Lo, he is become a proclaimer of grace, an Aug.
evangelist, and testifies to the Jews. That blind man testi- s. 8.
332 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
fied, and the ungodly were vexed at the heart, because they
had not in their heart what appeared upon his countenance.
Chiys. Then said they unto him, Where is He? Chrys. This they
ivii. 2. said, because they were meditating His death, having already
begun to conspire against Him. Christ did not appear in
company with those whom He cured ; having no desire for
glory, or display. He always withdrew, after healing any
one ; in order that no suspicion might attach to the miracle.
His withdrawal proved the absence of all connexion between
Him and the healed; and therefore that the latter did not
publish a false cure out of favour to Him. He said, I know
Aug. not. Aug. Here he is like one anointed, but unable yet to
8#r' 1 1V* see : he preaches, and knows not what he preaches. Bede.
Thus he represents the state of the catechumen, who believes
in Jesus, but does not, strictly speaking, know Him, not being
yet washed. It fell to the Pharisees to confirm or deny the
Chrys. miracle. Chrys. The Jews, whom they asked, Where is He?
Ivii. 2. were desirous of finding Him, in order to bring Him to the
Pharisees ; but, as they could not find Him, they bring the
blind man. They brought to the Pharisees him that afore-
time was blind ; i. e. that they might examine him still more
closely. The Evangelist adds, And it was the sabbath day
when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes; in order to
expose their real design, which was to accuse Him of a
departure from the law, and thus detract from the miracle : as
appears from what follows, Then again the Pharisees also asked
him how he had received his sight. But mark the firmness
of the blind man. To tell the truth to the multitude before,
from whom he was in no danger, was not so great a matter :
but it is remarkable, now that the danger is so much greater,
to find him disavowing nothing, and not contradicting any
thing that he said before : He said unto them, He put clay
upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. He is more
brief this time, as his interrogators were already informed of
the matter : not mentioning the name of Jesus, nor His
saying, Go, and wash ; but simply, He put clay upon mine
eyes, and I washed, and do see; the very contrary answer to
what they wanted. They wanted a disavowal, and they
Aug. receive a confirmation of the story.
Tr.xliv. Therefore said some of the Pharisees. Aug. Some, not
9. J
VER. 8—17. ST. JOHN. 333
all: for some were already anointed. But they, who neither
saw, nor were anointed, said, This man is not of God, because
he keepeth not the sabbath day. Rather He kept it, in that
He was without sin; for to observe the sabbath spiritually,
is to have no sin. And this God admonishes us of, when
He enjoins the sabbath, saying, In it thou shall do no ser- Exod.20,
vile work. What servile work is, our Lord tells us above, 10,
Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. They c. 8,34.
observed the sabbath carnally, transgressed it spiritually.
Chrys. Passing over the miracle in silence, they give all Chrys.
the prominence they can to the supposed transgression; ivij. 2.
not charging Him with healing on the sabbath, but with
not keeping the sabbath. Others said, How can a man that
is a sinner do such miracles? They were impressed by His
miracles, but only in a weak and unsettled way. For whereas
such might have shewn them, that the sabbath was not broken ;
they had not yet any idea that He was God, and therefore
did not know that it was the Lord of the sabbath who had
worked the miracle. Nor did any of them dare to say openly
what his sentiments were, but spoke ambiguously ; one, be-
cause he thought the fact itself improbable; another, from his
love of station. It follows, And there was a division among
them. That is, the people were divided first, and then the
rulers. Aug. It was Christ, who divided the day into light Aug.
and darkness. Chrys. Those who said, Can a man that is xiiv.4 5.
a sinner do such miracles ? wishing to stop the others' mouths, cTbrys-
Honi.
make the object of our Lord's goodness again come forward; iviii. l.
but without appearing to take part with Him themselves:
They say unto the blind man again, What say est thou of
Him, that He hath opened thine eyes? Theophyl. See with
what good intent they put the question. They do not say,
What sayest thou of Him that keepeth not the sabbath, but
mention the miracle, that He hath opened thine eyes; meaning,
it would seem, to draw out the healed man himself; He hath
benefited them, they seem to say, and thou oughtest to preach
Him. Aug. Or they^sought how they could throw reproach Aug.
T 1 "
upon the man, and cast him out of their synagogue. He*
declares however openly what he thinks: He said, He is a
Prophet. Not being anointed yet in heart, he could not con-
fess the Sun of God; nevertheless, he is not wrong in what he
334 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
Luke 4, says : for our Lord Himself says of Himself, A prophet is
not without honour, save in his own country.
18. But the Jews did not believe concerning him,
that he had been blind, and received his sight, until
they called the parents of him that had received his
sight.
19. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son,
who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now
see?
20. His parents answered them and said, We know
that this is our son, and that he was born blind :
21. But by what means he now seeth, we know not;
or who hath opened his eyes, we know not : he is of
age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
22. These words spake his parents, because they
feared the Jews : for the Jews had agreed already, that
if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should
be put out of the synagogue.
23. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask
him.
Chrys. Chrys. The Pharisees being unable, by intimidation, to
lviiTi deter the blind man from publicly proclaiming his Bene-
factor, try to nullify the miracle through the parents : But
the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been
blind, and received his sight, until they had called the parents
Aug. of foim taat nad received his sight. Aug. i. e. had been
b. io. blind, and now saw. Chrys. But it is the nature of truth,
r
Chrys. to be strengthened by the very snares that are laid against
Iviii. 3. it. A lie is its own antagonist, and by its attempts to injure
the truth, sets it off to greater advantage : as is the case now.
For the argument which might otherwise have been urged,
that the neighbours knew nothing for certain, but spoke
from a mere resemblance, is cut off by introduction of the
parents, who could of course testify to their own son.
Having brought these before the assembly, they interrogate
them with great sharpness, saying, Is this your son, (they
ver. 24 — 34. ST. JOHN. 335
say not, who was born blind, but) who ye say was born blind?
Say. Why what father is there, that would say such things of
a son, if they were not true ? Why not say at once, Whom ye
made blind ? They try two ways of making them deny the
miracle: by saying, Who ye say was born blind, and by
adding, How then doth he now see? Theophyl. Either, say
they, it is not true that he now sees, or it is untrue that he
was blind before: but it is evident that he now sees; therefore
it is not true that he was born blind. Chrys. Three things Chrys.
then being asked, — if he were their son, if he had been blind, J^??1*
and how he saw, — they acknowledge two of them : His
parents answered them and said, We know that this is our
son, and that he was born blind. But the third they refuse
to speak to : But by what means he now seeth, we know not.
The enquiry in this way ends in confirming the truth of the
miracle, by making it rest upon the incontrovertible evidence
of the confession of the healed person himself; He is of
age, they say, ask him; he can speak for himself. Aug. As Aug.
if to say, We might justly be compelled to speak for an infant, 10r* '
that could not speak for itself: but he, though blind from
his birth, has been always able to speak. Chrys. What Chrys.
sort of gratitude is this in the parents; concealing what theywii. 2.
knew, from fear of the Jews ? as we are next told ; These
words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews. And
then the Evangelist mentions again what the intentions and
dispositions of the Jews were : For the Jews had agreed
already, that if any man did confess that He icas Christ, he
should be put out of the synagogue. Aug. It was no disad-^ug- .
vantage to be put out of the synagogue: whom they cast out, io.
Christ took in.
Therefore said his parents, He is of age, ask him. Alcuin.
The Evangelist shews that it was not from ignorance, but
fear, that they gave this answer. Theophyl. For they were
fainthearted; not like their son, that intrepid witness
to the truth, the eyes of whose understanding had been
enlightened by God.
24. Then again called they the man that was blind,
and said unto him, Give God the praise : we know that
this man is a sinner.
336 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
25. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner
or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I
was blind, now I see.
26. Then said they to him again, What did he to
thee? how opened he thine eyes?
27. He answered them, I have told you already, and
ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again?
will ye also be his disciples?
28. Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his
disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.
29. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for
this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
30. The man answered and said unto them, Why
herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from
whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
31. Now we know that God heareth not sinners:
but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his
will, him he heareth.
32. Since the wrorld began was it not heard that any
man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
33. If this man were not of God, he could do
nothing.
34. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast
altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And
they cast him out.
Chrys. Chrys. The parents having referred the Pharisees to the
J1.^!11, healed man himself, they summon him a second time:
Then again called they the man that was blind. They do
not openly say now, Deny that Christ has healed thee, but
conceal their object under the pretence of religion: Give
God the praise, i. e. confess that this man has had nothing
Aug. to do with the work. Aug. Deny that thou hast received
Tr.xliv.t^e i3eiiefit. Tins is not to give God the glory, but rather to
blaspheme Him. Alcuin. They wished him to give glory
to God, by calling Christ a sinner, as they did: We know
Chrys. fjmi f]tis man js a sinner. Chrys. Whv then did ye not
Horn. J J
lviii. 2.
VER. 24—34. ST. JOHN. 337
convict Him, when He said above, Which of you convincethc.8,46.
Me of sin? Alcuin. The man, that he might neither expose
himself to calumny, nor at the same time conceal the truth,
answers not that he knew Him to be righteous, but, Whether
He be a sinner or no. I knoiv not. Chrys. But how comes Chrys.
TT
this, whether He be a sinner^ I know not, from one who had. u-iii. 2.
said, He is a Prophet? Did the blind fear? far from it: he
only thought that our Lord's defence lay in the witness of
the fact, more than in another's pleading. And he gives
weight to his reply by the mention of the benefit he had
received: One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now
I see: as if to say, I say nothing as to whether He is a sin-
ner; but only repeat what I know for certain. So being
unable to overturn the fact itself of the miracle, they fall
back upon former arguments, and enquire the manner of the
cure: just as dogs in hunting pursue wherever the scent
takes them: Then said they to him again, What did He do to
thee? How opened He thine eyes? i. e. was it by any charm ?
For they do not say, How didst thou see ? but, How opened
He thine eyes? to give the man an opportunity of detracting
from the operation. So long now as the matter wanted ex-
amining, the blind man answers gently and quietly; but, the
victory being gained, he grows bolder: He answered them,
I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore
would ye hear it again? i. e. Ye do not attend to what is
said, and therefore I will no longer answer you vain ques-
tions, put for the sake of cavil, not to gain knowledge: Will ye
also be His disciples? Aug. Will ye also? i. e. I am already, Aug.
do ye wish to be ? I see now, but do not envy. He says^jf
this in indignation at the obstinacy of the Jews; not tole- video,
rating blindness, now that he is no longer blind himself. jnvideo.
Chrys. As then truth is strength, so falsehood is weakness: Chrys.
TT
truth elevates and ennobles whomever it takes up, however ivjji# 2
mean before: falsehood brings even the strong to weakness
and contempt.
Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art His disciple. Aug.
Aug. A malediction only in the intention of the speakers, tl
not in the words themselves. May such a malediction be **«•*•■
upon us, and upon our children! Tt follows: But we are^tAe-
Wosef disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses. Butdixe"
1 ' runt,
Z Vulg
3SS GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAT. IX.
ye should have known, that our Lord was prophesied of
c. 5, 46. by Moses, after hearing what He said, Had ye believed Moses,
ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. Do ye
follow then a servant, and turn your back on the Lord ?
Even so, for it follows; As for this fellow, we know not
Chrys. whence He is. Chrys. Ye think sight less evidence than
lviii.a.3. hearing; for what ye say, ye know, is what ye have heard
from your fathers. But is not He more worthy of belief, who
has certified that He comes from God, by miracles which ye
have not heard only, but seen? So argues the blind man :
Tlie man answered, and said, Why herein is a marvellous
tiling, that ye know not whence He is, and yet He hath
opened mine eyes. He brings in the miracle every where,
as evidence which they could not invalidate : and, inasmuch
as they had said that a man that was a sinner could not do
such miracles, he turns their own words against them ; Now
we know that God heareth not sinners; as if to say, I quite
Aug. agree with you in this opinion. Aug. As yet however He
s. 13. speaks as one but just anointed1, for God hears sinners too.
1 adlluc Else in vain would the publican cry, God be merciful to me
munctus , . . ...
loquitur. # sinner. By that confession he obtained2 justification, as
18*13 tne blind man had his sight. Theophyl. Or, that God
2 meruit heareth not sinners, means, that God does not enable sinners
to work miracles. When sinners however implore pardon
for their offences, they are translated from the rank of sinners
Chrys. to that of penitents. Chrys. Observe then, when he said
WitiTs. aDoveJ Whether He be a sinner, I know not, it was not that
he spoke in doubt; for here he not only acquits him of all
sin, but holds him up as one well pleasing to God : But if
any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him
He heareth. It is not enough to know God, we must do
His will. Then he extols His deed : Since the world
began, was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of
one that was born blind: as if to say, If ye confess that God
heareth not sinners ; and this Man has worked a miracle,
such an one, as no other man has; it is manifest that the
virtue whereby He has wrought it, is more than human : If
Aug. this Man were not cf God, He could do nothing. Aug.
13r' 'Freely, stedfastly, truly. For how could what our Lord
did. be done by any other than God, or by disciples even,
VER. 35 41. ST. JOHN. 339
except when their Lord dwelt in them ? Chrvs. So then Chrys.
because speaking the truth he was in nothing confounded, viii 3
when they should most have admired, they condemned him:
Thou wast altogether bum in sins, and dost thou teach us?
Aug. What meaneth altogether? That he was quite blind. Aug.
Tr. xliv.
Yet He who opened his eyes, also saves him altogether. 14.
Chrys. Or, altogether, that is to say. from thy birth thou art Chrys.
in sins They reproach his blindness, and pronounce his 1^/3,
sins to be the cause of it; most unreasonably. So long as
they expected him to deny the miracle, they were willing to
•believe him, but now they cast him out. Aug. It was they Aug.
themselves who had made him teacher; themselves, wholi|,xlv'
had asked him so many questions; and now they ungratefully
cast him out for teaching. Bede It is commonly the way
with great persons to disdain learning any tiling from their
inferiors.
35. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and
when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou
believe on the Son of GodP
36. He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I
might believe on him?
37. And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen
him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
38. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he wor-
shipped him.
39. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come
into this world, that they which see not might see ;
and that they which see might be made blind.
40. And some of the Pharisees which were with
him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we
blind also?
41. Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should
have no sin: but now ye say, We see: therefore your
V ft v
sin remaineth.
Chrys. Those who suffer for the truth's sake, and con- Chrys.
... r /~*i • i . 1 Horn.
iession of Christ, come to greatest honour; as we see in tne]ix- Jt
z 2
^X cP-V
• f Err *.,*-.... ~ . ._ \ u • I •
340 COSPLL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
instance of the blind man. For the Jews cast him out of
the temple, and the Lord of the temple found him; and re-
ceived him as the judge doth the wrestler after his labours,
and crowned him: Jesus heard that they had cast him out;
and alien He had found him, He saith unto him, Dost thou
believe on the Son of God1? The Evangelist makes it plain
that Jesus came in order to say this to him. He asks him,
however, not in ignorance, but wishing to reveal Himself to
him, and to shew that He appreciated his faith; as if He
said, The people have cast reproaches on Me, but I care not
for them; one thing only I care for, that thou mayest believe.
Better is he that doeth the will of God, than ten thousand of
Eilar. the wicked. Hilary. If any mere confession whatsoever
V 1 . (J 6
Trin. of Christ were the perfection of faith, it would have been
c!rca said, Dost thou believe in Christ ? But inasmuch as all
heretics would have had this name in their mouths, confessing
Christ, and yet denying the Son, that which is true of Christ
alone, is required of our faith, viz. that we should believe in
the Son of God. But what availeth it to believe on the Son
of God as being a creature, when we are required to have
faith in Christ, not as a creature of God, but as the Son of
Chrys. God. Chrys. But the blind man did not yet know Christ,
TT _. J '
lix. \. for before he went to Christ he was blind, and after his cure,
he was taken hold of by the Jews: He answered and said,
Who is He, Lord, that 1 might believe on Him ? The speech
this of a longing and enquiring mind. He knows not who
He is for whom he had contended so much ; a proof to thee
of his love of truth. The Lord however says not to him, I
am He who healed thee; but uses a middle way of speaking,
T/iou hast both seen Him. Theophyl. This He says to
remind him of his cure, which had given him the power to
see. And observe, He that speaks is born of Mary, and the
Son is the Son of God, not two different Persons, according
to the error of Nestorius: And it is He that talketh with
Aug. thee, Aug. First, He washes the face of his heart. Then,
Tr. xliv. . .
15.' his heart's face being washed, and his conscience cleansed,
he acknowledges Him as not only the Son of man, which he
believed before, but as the Son of God, Who had taken flesh
upon Him: And he said, Lord, L believe. L believe, is a
small thing. YVouldest thou see what he believes of Him ?
VER. 35 — 41. ST. JOHN. 341
And falling down, he worshipped Him. Bede. An example Vulgate
to us, not to pray to God with uplifted neck, but prostrate
upon earth, suppliantly to implore His mercy. Chrys. He Chrys.
adds the deed to the word, as a clear acknowledgment of ]jx- {t
His divine power. The Lord replies in a way to confirm
His faith, and at the same time stirs up the minds of His
followers: And Jesus said, For judgment have I come into
litis world. Aug. The day then was divided between light and Aug.
darkness. So it is rightly added, that they which see not,Y§'v-im
may see; for He relieved men from darkness. But what is
that which follows: And that they which see might be made
blind. Hear what comes next. Some of the Pharisees
were moved by these words: And some of the PJiarisees
which were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him,
Are we blind also ? What had moved them were the words,
And that they which see might be made blind. It follows ;
Jesus saith unto tiiem, If ye ivere blind, ye should have no
sin ; i.e. If ye called yourselves blind, and ran to the physician.
But now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth: for
in that saying, We see, ye seek not a physician, ye shall
remain in your blindness. This then which He has just
before said, / came, that they that see not might see; i. e.
they who confess they cannot see, and seek a physician, in
order that they may see: and that they which see not may
be made blind; i. e. they which think they can see, and seek
not a physician, may remain in their blindness. This act
of division He calls judgment, saying, For judgment have I
come into this ivorld: not that judgment by which He will
judge quick and dead at the end of the world. Chrys. Or, Chrys.
for judgment, He saith; i. e. for greater punishment, shewing jjXt {
that they who condemned Him. were the very ones who were
condemned. Respecting what He says, that they which see
not might see, and that they which see might be made blind;
it is the same which St. Paul says, The Gentiles tchich^om\9'
'30. 31.
followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteous-
ness, even the righteousness which is of fail h. But Israel,
which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not
attained to the law of righteousness. Theophyl. As if to
say, Lo, he that saw not from his birth, now sees both in body
and soul; whereas they who seem to see, have had their
34*2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. CHAP. IX.
Chrys. understanding darkened. Chrys. For there is a twofold
-Horn. . ,
lix. i. vision, and a twofold blindness; viz. that of sense, and that
of the understanding. But they were intent only on sensible
things, and were ashamed only of sensible blindness: where-
fore He shews them that it would be better for them to be
blind, than seeing so : If ye were blind, ye shoutd have no
sin; your punishment would be easier; But noiv ye say, We
see. Theophyl. Overlooking the miracle wrought on the
blind man, ye deserve no pardon; since even visible miracles
Chrys. make no impression on you. Chrys. What then they thought
lix. 12. their great praise, He shews would turn to their punishment;
and at the same time consoles him who had been afflicted
with bodily blindness from his birth. For it is not without
reason that the Evangelist says, And some of the Pharisees
which icere with him, heard these words; but that he may
remind us that those were the very persons who had first
withstood Christ, and then wished to stone Him. For there
were some who only followed in appearance, and were easily
changed to the contrary side. Theophyl. Or, if ye were
blind, i. e. ignorant of the Scriptures, your offence would be
by no means so heavy a one, as erring out of ignorance: but
now, seeing ye call yourselves wise and understanding in the
law, your own selves condemn you.
CHAP. X.
1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth
not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up
some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2. But he that entereth in by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep.
3. To him the porter openeth ; and the sheep hear
his voice : and he calleth his own sheep by name, and
leadeth them out.
4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they
know his voice.
5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee
from him : for they know not the voice of strangers.
Chrys. Our Lord having reproached the Jews with blind- Chiys.
ness, they might have said, We are not blind, but we avoid Ux. i.
Thee as a deceiver. Our Lord therefore gives the marks
which distinguish a robber and deceiver from a true shepherd.
First come those of the deceiver and robber : Verily, eerily,
I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the
sheepfold, but climbeth up some other nay, the same is a
thief and a robber. There is an allusion here to Antichrist,
and to certain false Christs who had been, and were to be.
The Scriptures He calls the door. They admit us to the
knowledge of God, they protect the sheep, they shut out the
wolves, they bar the entrance to heretics. He that useth
not the Scriptures, but climbeth up some other way, i. e.
some self-chosen ', some unlawful way, is a thief. Climbeth1 iT'tx'
up, He says, not, enters, as it it were a thief getting over a
wall, and running all risks. Some other way, may refer ton
344 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
1o the commaudinenls and traditions of men which the
Scribes taught, to the neglect of the Law. When our Lord
further on calls Himself the Door, we need not be surprised.
According to the office which He bears, He is in one
place the Shepherd, in another the Sheep. In that He in-
troduces us to the Father, He is the Door; in that He takes
™u"\ care of us, He is the Shepherd. Aug. Or thus : Many go
2. et sq. under the name of good men according to the standard of
the world, and observe in some sort the commandments of
the Law, who yet are not Christians. And these generally
boast of themselves, as the Pharisees did; Are ire blind
also ? But inasmuch as all that they do they do foolishly,
without knowing to what end it tends, our Lord saith of
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not
by the door into the sheep/old, but climbeth tip some other
tcay, the same is a thief and a robber. Let the Pagans then,
the Jews, the Heretics, say, " We lead a good life ;" if they
enter not by the door, what availeth it? A good life only
profiteth, as leading to life eternal. Indeed those cannot be
said to lead a good life, who are either blindly ignorant of,
or wilfully despise, the end of good living. No one can hope
for eternal life, who knows not Christ, who is the life, and
by that door enters into the fold. Whoso wisheth to enter
into the sheepfold, let him enter by the door; let him preach
Christ ; let him seek Christ's glory, not his own. Christ is a
lowly door, and he who enters by this door must be lowly,
if he would enter with his head whole. He that doth not
humble, but exalt himself, who wishes to climb up over the
wall, is exalted that he may fall. Such men generally try to
persuade others that they may live well, and not be Chris-
tians. Thus they climb up by some other way, that they
mav rob and kill. They are thieves, because they call that
their own, which is not; robbers, because that which they
Chrys. have stolen, they kill. Cijrys. You have seen His descrip-
tors* ^on °^ a V0DDei'j now see *nat °f tne Shepherd : But lie that
Aug. entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Aug.
deVerb. |je enters by the door, who enters bv Christ, who imitates
Serm. the suffering of Christ, who is acquainted with the humility
xllx' of Christ, so as to feel and know, that if God became man
for us, man should not think himself God, but man. He
VER. 1—5. ST. JOHN. 345
who being man wishes to appear God, does not imitate Him,
who being God, became man. Thou art bid to think less of
thyself than thou art, but to know what thou art.
To Him the po-rter opeueth. Chrys. The porter perhaps Chrys.
is Moses; for to him the oracles of God were committed- x]ix#'2i
Tiieophyl. Or, the Holy Spirit is the porter, by whom the
Scriptures are unlocked, and reveal the truth to us. Aug. Aug.
. . Tr. xlvi.
Or, the porter is our Lord Himself; for there is much less 2.
difference between a door and a porter, than between a door
and a shepherd. And He has called Himself both the door
and the shepherd. Why then not the door and the porter?
He opens Himself, i.e. reveals1 Himself. If thou seek" expo-
another person for porter, take the Holy Spirit, of whom our "
Lord below saith, He will guide you into all truth. Thec.16, 13.
door is Christ, the Truth ; who openeth the door, but He
that will guide you into all Truth ? Whomsoever thou
understand here, beware that thou esteem not the porter
greater than the door; for in our houses the porter ranks
above the door, not the door above the porter. Chrys. As Chrys.
they had called Him a deceiver, and appealed to their own]ix<2'.
unbelief as the proof of it ; ( Which of the rulers believelh0- 7> 48-
on Him ?) He shews here that it was because they refused to
hear Him, that they were put out of His flock. The sheep
hear His voice. The Shepherd enters by the lawful door;
and they who follow Him are His sheep; they who do not,
voluntarily put themselves out of His flock.
And He calleth His own sheep bu name, Aug. He knew Aug
* rp I
the names of the predestinated; as He saith to His disciples, 12r.'
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Luke
19 14
And leadcth them out. Chrys. He led out the sheep, Chrys.
when He sent them not out of the reach of, but into the,Hom*
lix. 2.
midst of, the wolves. There seems to be a secret allusion to
the blind man. He called him out of the midst of the Jews;
and he heard His voice. Aug. And who is He who leads Aug.
them out, but the Same who loosens the chain of their sins, ff' xlv'
that they may follow Him with free unfettered step? Gloss.
And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before
them, He leadeth them out from the darkness of ignorance
into light, while He goeth before in the pillar of cloud, and(l,^
lie. Chrys. Shepherds always eo behind their sheep: but llollu
r J ° ' lix. 2.
346 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
He, on the contrary, goes before, to shew that lie would lead
Aug. all to the truth. Aug. And who is this that goeth before
c. 14. " the sheep, but He who being raised from the dead, dieth no
Rom. 6, more; and who said, Father, I will also that they, ichom
infra Tkou hast given Me, be with Me where I am ?
17, 24. j^n(i ffe sheep follow Him, for they know His voice. And
a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him ; for
Chrys. they know not the voice of strangers. Chrys. The strangers
xlix^s are Theudas, and Judas, and the false apostles who came
after Christ. That He might not appear one of this number,
He gives many marks of difference between Him and them.
First, Christ brought men to Him by teaching them out of
the Scriptures ; they drew men from the Scriptures.
Secondly, the obedience of the sheep ; for men believed
on Him, not only during His life, but after death: their
followers ceased, as soon as they were gone. Theophyl.
He alludes to Antichrist, who shall deceive for a time, but
Aug- lose all his followers when he dies. Aug. But here is a
Tr. xlv.
lo.'ct difficulty. Sometimes they who are not sheep hear Christ's
sou.. voice; for Judas heard, who was a wolf. And sometimes
the sheep hear Him not; for they who crucified Christ
heard not; yet some of them were His sheep. You will
say, While they did not hear, they were not sheep ; the
voice, when they heard it, changed them from wolves to
sheep. Still I am disturbed by the Lord's rebuke to the
Ezek.34, shepherds in Ezekiel, Neither have ye brought again that
which strayed. He calls it a stray sheep, but yet a sheep
all the while; though, if it strayed, it could not have heard
the voice of the Shepherd, but the voice of a stranger. What
2 Tim. i sav then is this; The Lord knoweth them that are His.
2. 19.
He knoweth the foreknown, he knoweth the predes-
tinated. They are the sheep : for a time they know not
themselves, but the Shepherd knows them ; for many sheep
are without the fold, manv wolves within. He speaks then
of the predestinated. And now the difficulty is solved. The
sheep do hear the Shepherd's voice, and they only. When
Mat. io, is that? It is when that voice saith, He that endureth to the
32
end shall be saved. This speech His own hear, the alien
hear not.
VER. 6— 10. ST. JOHN. 347
6. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they
understood not what things they were which he spake
unto them.
Aug. Our Lord feedeth by plain words, exerciseth by ut SUP-
obscure. For when two persons, one godly, the other
ungodly, hear the words of the Gospel, and they happen to
be such that neither can understand them ; one says, What
He saith is true and good, but we do not understand it : the
other says, It is not worth attending to. The former, in
faith, knocks, yea, and, if he continue to knock, it shall be
opened unto him. The latter shall hear the words in Isaiah,
If ye ivill not believe, surely ye shall not be established1. isa.7,9.
1 non in-
telligetis
7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, Aus-
I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. manebi-
8. All that ever came before me are thieves and
robbers : but the sheep did not hear them.
9. I am the door : by me if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find
pasture.
10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy : I am come that they might have
life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Chrys. Our Lord, to waken the attention of the Jews, Chrys.
unfolds the meaning of what He has said ; Then said Jesus **0™'
unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the
door of the sheep. Aug. Lo, the very door which He had Aug.
Tr xl v
shut up, He openeth ; He is the Door: let us enter, and let g. '
us enter with joy.
All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers.
Chrys. He saith not this of the Prophets, as the heretics Chrys.
think, but of Theudas, and Judas, and other agitators. So j^0™'
he adds in praise of the sheep, The sheep heard them not ;
but he no where praises those who disobeyed the prophets,
but condemns them severely. Aug. Understand, All that Aug.
ever came at variance with Me. The Prophets were not at s
variance2 with Him. They came with Him, who came with sprrrtor.
34S GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAT. X.
the Word of God, who spake the truth. He, the Word, the
Truth, sent heralds before Him, but the hearts of those whom
He sent were His own. They came with Him, inasmuch
as He is always, though He assumed the flesh in time : In
the beginning was the Word. His humble advent in the
flesh was preceded by just men, who believed on Him as
about to come, as we believe on Him come. The times are
different, the faith is the same. Our faith knitteth together
both those who believed that He was about to come, and
those who believe that He has come. All that ever came at
variance with Him were thieves and robbers; i.e. they
came to steal and to kill ; but the sheep did not hear them.
They had not Christ's voice ; but were wanderers, dreamers,
deceivers. Why He is the Door, He next explains, / am
the Door ; by 3Ie if any man enter in he shall be saved,
Alcoin. As if to say, The sheep hear not them, but Me
they hear; for I am the Door, and whoever entereth by
Me not falsely but in sincerity, shall by perseverance be
saved. Theophyl. The door admits the sheep into the
pasture; And shall go in and out, and find pasture. What
is this pasture, but the happiness to come, the rest to
Aug- which our Lord brings us ? Aug. What is this, shall go in
Tr. xly.
c. 15. and out? To enter into the Church by Christ the Door, is
a very good thing, but to go out of the Church is not. Going
in must refer to inward cogitation; going out to outward
Ps. 103, action ; as in the Psalm, Man goeth forth to his work.
Theophyl. Or, to go in is to watch over the inner man; to
Colcs.3.^o out, to mortify the outward man, i. e. our members which
are upon the earth. He that doth this shall find pasture in
Chns. the life to come. Chrys. Or, He refers to the Apostles who
lix. 3. went in and out boldly; for they became the masters of the
world, none could turn them out of their kingdom, and they
A g- found pasture. Aug. But He Himself explains it more satisfac-
15* ' torilv to me in what follows: The thief cometh not, but for to
steal, andfor to kill: lam come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly. By going in they
have life; i. e. by faith, which worketh by love; by which
L"vlt faith they go into the fold. The just liveth1 by faith. And
by going out they will have it more abundantly : i. e. when
38< ' true believers die, they have life more abundantly, even a
VER. 11 — 13. ST. JOHN. 349
life which never ends. Though in this fold there is not
wanting pasture, then they will find pasture, such as will
satisfy them. To-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise. Lute23,
Greg. Shall go in, i. e. to faith : shall go oat, i. e. to sight : Greg.
and find pasture, i. e. in eternal fulness. Alcuin\ The thief ^^
cometh not hut for to steal, and to kill. As if He said, And well Horn.
may the sheep not hear the voice of the thief; for he cometh xm*
not but for to steal: he usurpeth another's office, forming
his followers not on Christ's precepts, but on his own. And
therefore it follows, and to kill, i, e. by drawing them from
the faith; and to destroy, i. e. by their eternal damnation.
Chrys. The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill,c^r7s-
and to destroy ; this was literally fulfilled in the case of those yx< j*
movers of sedition3, whose followers were nearly all destroyed ;
deprived by the thief even of this present life. But came,
He saith, for the salvation of the sheep; That they might
have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,
in the kingdom of heaven. This is the third mark of dif-
ference between Himself, and the false prophets. Theophyl.
Mystically, the thief is the devil, steals by wicked thoughts,
kills by the assent of the mind to them, and destroys by
acts.
11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd
give th his life for the sheep.
12. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd,
whose own the sheep are not. seeth the wolf coming,
and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth : and the wolf catcheth
them, and scattereth the sheep.
13. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling,
and careth not for the sheep.
Aug. Our Lord has acquainted us with two things which Aug.
were obscure before; first, that He is the Door; and now 1#r
again, that He is the Shepherd: I am the good Shepherd.
Above He said that the shepherd entered by the door. Ifc.xlvii.
He is the Door, how doth He enter by Himself? Just as
He knows the Father by Himself, and we by Him; so He
enters into the fold by Himself, and we bv Him. We enter
a Theudas, Judas, mentioned abo\e.
350 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
by the door, because we preach Christ; Christ preaches
Himself. A light shews both other things, and itself too.
'Jr. xliv. There is but one Shepherd. For though the rulers of the
Church, those who are her sons, and not hirelings, are shep-
Tr.xlvii. herds, they are all members of that one Shepherd. His office
of Shepherd He hath permitted His members to bear. Peter
is a shepherd, and all the other Apostles: all good Bishops
are shepherds. But none of us calleth himself the door.
He could not have added good, if there were not bad
shepherds as well. They are thieves and robbers; or at
forma least mercenaries. Gkeg. And Pie adds what that goodness
Greg, is, for our imitation: The good Shepherd giveth His life for
^om.- the sheep. He did what He bade, He set the example of
xiv. m . . .
Evang. what He commanded: He laid down His life for the sheep,
that He might convert His body and blood in our Sacrament,
and feed with His flesh the sheep He had redeemed. A
path is shewn us wherein to walk, despising death; a stamp
is applied to us, and we must submit to the impression.
Our first duty is to spend our outward possessions upon the
sheep; our last, if it be necessary, is to sacrifice our life for
the same sheep. Whoso doth not give his substance to the
£UJ?; .. sheep, how can he lay down his life for them? Aug. Christ
Tr.xlvn. r7 i t i •
was not the only one who did this. And yet if they who did
it are members of Him, one and the same Christ did it
always. He was able to do it without them ; they were not
Au£- without Him. Aug. All these however were good shepherds,
deYerb. . .
Dom. not because they shed their blood, but because they did it
Serm. i.for the sheep. For they shed it not in pride, but in love.
Should any among the heretics suffer trouble in consequence
of their errors and iniquities, they forthwith boast of their
martyrdom ; that they may be the better able to steal under
so fair a cloak: for they are in reality wolves. But not all
who give their bodies to be burned, are to be thought to shed
their blood for the sheep; rather against the sheep; for the
] Cor. Apostle saith, Though I give my body to be burned, and have
I3' 3* not charity, it projiteth me nothing \ And how hath he even
convic- the smallest charity, who does not love connexion with
tus Christians? to command which, our Lord did not mention
Chrys. marjy shepherds, but one, / am the good Shepherd. Chrys.
lx. 5. Our Lord shews here that He did not undergo His passion
VER. 11 13. ST. JOHN. 351
unwillingly; but for the salvation of the world. He then
gives the difference between the shepherd and the hireling :
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, seeth the icolf coming, and leaveth the
sheep, and jleeth. Greg. Some there are who love earthly Greg,
possessions more than the sheep, and do not deserve theEv
ang.
name of a shepherd. He who feeds the Lord's flock for thexiv-
sake of temporal hire, and not for love, is an hireling, not
a shepherd. An hireling is he who holds the place of
shepherd, but seeketh not the gain of souls, who panteth
after the good things of earth, and rejoices in the pride of
station. Aug. He seeketh therefore in the Church, not God, Aug.
but something else. If he sought God he would be chaste ; -Jomer
for the soul hath but one lawful husband, God. Whoever Serm.
*Y 1 1 "V"
seeketh from God any thing beside God, seeketh unchastely.
Greg. But whether a man be a shepherd or an hireling, Greg,
cannot be told for certain, except in a time of trial. InE°™'m
tranquil times, the hireling generally stands watch like thexiv.
shepherd. But when the wolf comes, then every one shews
with what spirit he stood watch over the flock. Aug. The Aug.
wolf is the devil, and they that follow him; according to j)om*
Matthew, Which come to you in sheeps' clothing, but inwardly Se.rm-
they are ravening wolves. Aug. Lo, the wolf hath seized Matt. 7,
a sheep by the throat, the devil hath enticed a man into lFm
adultery. The sinner must be excommunicated. But if heTr. xhi.
is excommunicated, he will be an enemy, he will plot,
he will do as much harm as he can. Wherefore thou
art silent, thou dost not censure, thou hast seen the wolf
coming, and fled. Thy body has .stood, thy mind has fled.
For as joy is relaxation, sorrow contraction, desire a reach-
ing forward of the mind; so fear is the flight of the mind.
Greg. The wolf too cometh upon the sheep, whenever any Greg.
spoiler and unjust person oppresses the humble believers.^™'1"
And he who seems to be shepherd, but leaves the sheep andxiv-
flees, is he who dares not to resist his violence, from fear of
danger to himself. He flees not by changing place, but
by withholding consolation from his flock. The hireling
is inflamed with no zeal against this injustice. I?e only
looks to outward comforts, and overlooks the internal suffer-
ing of his flock. The hireling jleeth, because he is an
85*2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X .
hireling, and careth not for the sheep. The only reason that
the hireling fleeth, is because he is an hireling; as if to say,
He cannot stand at the approach of danger, who doth not
love the sheep that he is set over, but seeketh earthly gain.
Such an one dares not face danger, for fear he should lose
Aug. what he so much loves. Aug. But if the Apostles were
zT' • • shepherds, not hirelings, why did they flee in persecution?
Mat. 10, And why did our Lord say, U hen they persecute you in this
city, flee ye into another? Let us knock, then will come
Aug. ad one, who will explain. Aug. A servant of Christ, and
E minister of His Word and Sacraments, may flee from city to
clxxx. city, when he is specially aimed at by the persecutors, apart
from his brethren; so that his flight does not leave the
Church destitute. But when all, i. e. Bishops, Clerics, and
Laics, are in danger in common, let not those who need
assistance be deserted by those who should give it. Let all
flee together if they can, to some place of security; but, if
any are obliged to stay, let them not be forsaken by those
who are bound to minister to their spiritual wants. Then,
under pressing persecution, may Christ's ministers flee from
the place where they are, when none of Christ's people
remain to be ministered to, or when that ministry may be
fulfilled by others who have not the same cause for flight.
But when the people stay, and the ministers flee, and the
ministry ceases, what is this but a damnable flight of hirelings,
Aug. who care not for the sheep ? Aug. On the good side are the
l " door, the porter, the shepherd, and the sheep; on the bad, the
Aug. de thieves, the robbers, the hirelings, the wolf. Aug. We must
Dom.' love the shepherd, beware of the wolf, tolerate the hireling. For
s. xlix. the hireling is useful so long as he sees not the wolf, the thief,
™ug\ . and the robber. When he sees them, he flees. Aug. Indeed
lr. xlvi.
5. he would not be an hireling, did he not receive wages from
c> e. the hirer. Sons wait patiently for the eternal inheritance of
their father; the hireling looks eagerly for the temporal
wages from his hirer; and yet the tongues of both speak
abroad the glory of Christ. The hireling hurteth, in that
he doeth wrong, not in that he speaketh right: the grape
bunch hangeth amid thorns: pluck the grape, avoid the thorn.
Many that seek temporal advantages in the Church, preach
Christ, and through them Christ's voice is heard; and the
VER. 14 — 21. ST. JOHN. 3->3
sheep follow not the hireling, but the voice of the Shepherd
heard through the hireling.
14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep,
and am known of mine.
15. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16. And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them also T must bring, and they shall hear
my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shep-
herd.
17. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay
down my life, that I might take it again.
18. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of
myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power
to take it again. This commandment have I received
of mv Father.
19. There was a division therefore again among the
Jews for these sayings.
20. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is
mad; why hear ye him?
21. Others said, These are not the words of him
that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the
blind ?
Chrys. Two evil persons have been mentioned, one that Chrys.
kills, and robs the sheep, another that doth not hinder: thejx l
one standing for those movers of seditions; the other for the
rulers of the Jews, who did not take care of the sheep com-
mitted to them. Christ distinguishes Himself from both;
from the one who came to do hurt by saying, / am come that
they might have life; from those who overlook the rapine of
the wolves, by saying that He giveth His life for the sheep.
Wherefore He saith again, as He said before, / am the good
Shepherd. And as He had said above that the sheep heard
the voice of the Shepherd and followed Him, that no one
might have occasion to ask, What sayest Thou then of those
2 A
354 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
that believe not? He adds, And I know My sheep, and am
K011J"9 known of Mine. As Paul too saith, God hath not cast away
Greg. His people, whom He foreknew. Greg. As if He said, I
Evans"1 l°ve ^y sheep, and they love and follow Me. For he who
xiT- loves not the truth, is as yet very far from knowing it. Theo-
phyl. Hence the difference of the hireling and the Shepherd.
The hireling does not know his sheep, because he sees them
so littie. The Shepherd knows His sheep, because He is so at-
Chrvs. tractive to them. Chrys. Then that thou may est not attribute to
lx. l. tne Shepherd and the sheep the same measure of knowledge, He
adds, As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father:
i. e. I know Him as certainly as He knoweth Me. This then
Lukeio,is a case of like knowledge, the other is not; as He saith, No
Gr"e man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father. Greg. And I
Horn, mlay down My life for My sheep. As if to say, This is why
xjT# I know My Father, and am known by the Father, because I
lay down My life for My sheep; i. e. by My love for My
Chrys. sheep, I shew how much I love My Father. Chrys. He
lx. 1." gives it too as a proof of His authority. In the same way
the Apostle maintains his own commission in opposition to
the false Apostles, by enumerating his dangers and suffer-
ings. Theophyl. For the deceivers did not expose their
lives for the sheep, but, like hirelings, deserted their followers.
infr. 18, Our Lord, on the other hand, protected His disciples: Let
Greg, these go their way. Greg. But as He came to redeem not
Horn. on]v tke jews but the Gentiles, He adds, And other sheep
XIV. J . L
Aug. I liave, which are not of this fold. Aug. The sheep hitherto
Dom sP°ken °f are those of the stock of Israel according to the
s. l. flesh. But there were others of the stock of Israel, accord-
ing to faith, Gentiles, who were as yet out of the fold; pre-
destinated, but not yet gathered together. They are not of
this fold, because they are not of the race of Israel, but they
Chrys. win be of this fold: Them also I must bring. Chrys. What
lx. 2. wonder that these should hear My voice, and follow Me,
when others are waiting to do the same. Both these flocks
are dispersed, and without shepherds; for it follows, And they
shall hear My voice. And then He foretells their future
Greg, union: And there shall be one fold and one Shepherd. Greg.
Hom. of tw0 flocks He maketh one fold, uniting the Jews and
E v fin &
xiv. Gentiles in His faith. Theophyl. For there is one sign of
VER. 14 21. ST. JOHN. 355
baptism for all, and one Shepherd, even the Word of God.
Let the Manichean mark; there is but one fold and one
Shepherd set forth both in the Old and New Testaments.
Aug. What does He mean then when He says, / am not Aug.
sent but unto the lost sheep (f the house of Israel? Only, 4. '
that whereas He manifested Himself personally to the Jews, ^Iat- 15'
He did not go Himself to the Gentiles, but sent others.
Chrys. The word must here (I must bring) does not signify £hl7s-
. •*' o j Horn.
necessity, but only that the thing would take place. There- lx.
fore doth My Father love Me, because I lay clown My life,
that I might take it again. They had called Him an alien
from His Father. Aug. i. e. Because I die, to rise again. Aug.
There is great force in, / lay down. Let not the Jews, He Jrxlvn
says, boast; rage they may, but if I should not choose to lay
down My life, what will they do by raging? Theophyl. The
Father does not bestow His love on the Son as a reward for
the death He suffered in our behalf; but He loves Him, as
beholding in the Begotten His own essence, whence pro-
ceeded such love for mankind. Chrys. Or He says, in con-c^rys.
descension to our weakness, Though there were nothing Hom-
else which made Me love you, this would, that ye are so
loved by My Father, that, by dying for you, I shall win His
love. Not that He was not loved by the Father before, or
that we are the cause of such love. For the same purpose
He shews that He does not come to His Passion unwillingly:
No man taketh it from Me, but 1 lay it doivn of Myself.
Aug. Wherein He shewed that His natural death was not Aug.
the consequence of sin in Him, but of His own simple will, iii-.de
which was the why, the when, and the how: I have power foxxxviii]
lay it down. Chrys. As they had often plotted to kill Him, Chrys.
He tells them their efforts will be useless, unless He is willing. Hom-
I have such power over My own life, that no one can take
it from Me, against My will. This is not true of men. Wre
have not the power of laying down our own lives, except we put
ourselves to death. Our Lord alone has this power. And this
being true, it is true also that He can take it again when He
pleases: And I have power to take it again: which words de-
clare beyond a doubt a resurrection. That they might not
think His death a sign that God had forsaken Him, He adds,
This commandment have I received from My Father; i. e. to
2a2
356* GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X-
lay down My life, arid take it again. By which we must not un-
derstand that He first waited to hear this commandment, and
had to learn His work ; He only shews that that work which
He voluntarily undertook, was not against the Father's will.
Theophyl. He only means His perfect agreement with His
Father. Alcuin. For the Word dotli not receive a command
bv word, but containeth in Himself all the Father's command-
%f J
ments. When the Son is said to receive what He possesseth
of Himself, His power is not lessened, but only His gene-
ration declared. The Father gave the Son every thing in
begetting Him. He begat Him perfect. Theophyl. After
declaring Himself the Master of His own life and death,
which was a lofty assumption, He makes a more humble con-
fession; thus wonderfully uniting both characters; shewing
that He was neither inferior to or a slave of the Father on
the one hand, nor an antagonist on the other; but of the same
Aug. power and will. Aug. How doth our Lord lay down His
Tr.xlvii. orrn life ? Christ is the Word, and man, i. e. in soul and
body. Doth the Word lay down His life, and take it again ;
or doth the human soul, or doth the flesh? If it was the
1^vx^j Word of God that laid down His soul1 and took it again, that
llfe* . soul was at one time separated from the Word. But, though
death separated the soul and body, death could not separate
the Word and the soul. It is still more absurd to say that
the soul laid down itself; if it could not be separated from
the Word, how could it be from itself? The flesh therefore
layeth down its life and taketh it again, not by its own power,
but by the power of the Word which dwelleth in it. This
refutes the Apollinarians, who say that Christ had not a
human, rational soul. Alcuin. But the light shinedin dark-
ness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a
division among Ike Jews for these sayings. And many of
Chrys. them said, He hath a devil, and is mad. Chrys. Because
lx?3. He spoke as one greater than man, they said He had a devil.
But that He had not a devil, others proved from His works:
Others said, These are not the words of Him that hath a
devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? As if to say,
Not even the words themselves are those of one that hath
a devil; but if the words do not convince you, be persuaded
by the works. Our Lord having already given proof who
ver. 22 — 30. st. john. 357
He was by His works, was silent. They were unworthy of
an answer. Indeed, as they disagreed amongst themselves,
an answer was unnecessary. Their opposition only brought
out, for our imitation, our Lord's gentleness, and long suffer-
ing. Alcuin. We have heard of the patience of God, and
of salvation preached amid revilings. They obstinately
preferred tempting Him to obeying Him.
22. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedi-
cation, and it was winter.
23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's
porch.
24. Then came the Jews round about him, and said
unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt ? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly,
25. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed
not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they
bear witness of me.
26. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my
sheep, as I said unto you.
27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me.
28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand.
29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than
all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Father's hand.
30. I and my Father are one.
Jg-
Aug. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication. Au^
Encaenia is the feast of the dedication of the temple; from xhrlihs,
the Greek word xctivov, signifying new. The dedication of
any thing new was called encaenia. Chrys. It was the feast Chrys.
of the dedication of the temple, after the return from the 2°™'.
Babylonish captivity. Alcuin. Or, it was in memory of
the dedication under Judas Maccabeus. The first dedi-
358 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
cation was that of Solomon in the autumn; the second that
of Zorobabel, and the priest Jesus in the spring. This was
in winter time. Bede. Judas Maccabeus instituted an an-
nual commemoration of this dedication. Theophyl. The
Evangelist mentions the time of winter, to shew that it was
near His passion. He suffered in the following spring; for
Greg, which reason He took up His abode at Jerusalem. Greg. Or
c. 11. * because the season of cold was in keeping with the cold
Chrys. malicious hearts of the Jews. Chrys. Christ was present
lxi°.T wun much zeal at this feast, and thenceforth stayed Jin
>#wm^«v Judaea; His passion being now at hand. And Jesus walked
IJl^tv in the temple in Solomon 's porch. Alcuin. It is called
Solomon's porch, because Solomon went to pray there. The
porches of a temple are usually named after the temple. If
the Son of God walked in a temple where the flesh of brute
animals was offered up, how much more will He delight to
visit our house of prayer, in which His own flesh and blood
are consecrated? Theophyl. Be thou also careful, in the
winter time, i. e. while yet in this stormy wicked world, to
celebrate the dedication of thy spiritual temple, by ever
renewing thyself, ever rising upward in heart. Then will
>ry<rxj*y Jesus be present with thee in Solomon's porch, and give
thee safety under His covering. But in another life no man
Aug. will be able to dedicate Himself. Aug. The Jews cold in
xhiii 3 l°ve> burning in their malevolence, approached Him not to
honour, but persecute. Then came the Jews round about
Him, and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to
doubt ? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. They did not
want to know the truth, but only to find ground of accusation.
Chrys. Chrys. Being able to find no fault with His works, they
lxj. tried to catch Him in His words. And mark their perversity.
When He instructs by His discourse, they say, What sign
shewest Thou ? When He demonstrates by His works, they
say, //' Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Either way
they are determined to oppose Him. There is great malice
x **■}?*• in that speech, Tell us plainly. He had spoken plainly1,
openly when up at the feasts, and had hid nothing. They preface
before however with flattery : How long dost TJwu make us2 to doubt ?
sv.tollisas if they were anxious to know the truth, but really only
meaning to provoke Him to say something that they might
ver. 22 — 30. st. John. 359
lay hold of. Alcuin. They accuse Him of keeping their
minds in suspense and uncertainty, who had come to save
their soulsa. Aug. They wanted our Lord to sav, I am the Aug.
Christ. Perhaps, as they had human notions of the Messiah, xlviii.
having failed to discern His divinity in the Prophets, they
wanted Christ to confess Himself the Messiah, of the seed
of David; that they might accuse Him of aspiring to the
regal power. Alcuin. And thus they intended to give Him
into the hands of the Proconsul for punishment, as an
usurper against the emperor. Our Lord so managed His
reply as to stop the mouths of His calumniators, open those
of the believers; and to those who enquired of Him as a
man, reveal the mysteries of His divinity: Jesus ansuered
them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I
do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. Chrys. Chrys.
He reproves their malice, for pretending that a single word j °™'
would convince them, whom so many words had not. If
you do not believe My works, He says, how will you believe
My words? And He adds why they do not believe: But ye
believe not, because ye are not of My sheep. Aug. He saw Aug.
that they were persons predestinated to eternal death, andxl^t#
not those for whom He had bought eternal life, at the price 4.
of His blood. The sheep believe, and follow the Shepherd.
Theophyl. After He had said, Ye are not of My sheep, He
exhorts them to become such: My sheep hear 3Iy voice.
Alcuin. i. e. Obey My precepts from the heart. And I know
the?n, and they follow Me, here by walking in gentleness and
innocence, hereafter by entering the joys of eternal life.
And I give unto them eternal life. Aug. This is the pasture Aug.
of which He spoke before : And shall find pasture. Eternal T1r^.t*
life is called a goodly pasture: the grass thereof withereth6.
not, all is spread with verdure. But these cavillers thought
only of this present life. And they shall not perish eternally; ei ^
as if to say, Ye shall perish eternally, because ye are not of"T°x~
My sheep. Theophyl. But how then did Judas perish } us -A*
Because he did not continue to the end. Christ speaks of
them who persevere. If any sheep is separated from the
flock, and wanders from the Shepherd, it incurs danger im-
a Ale. literally, Christ did not come to they made themselves to doubt, tempf-
make them doubt, but to give them life: ing Christ, not believing in Him.
u.iui*u.
360 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
Aug. mediately. Aug. And He adds why they do not perish:
xlrv^c- '6< AWM?r shall any man pluck them out of My hand. Of
2 Tim. those sheep of which it is said. The Lord knoweth them
2 19.
that are His, the wolf robbeth none, the thief taketh
none, the robber killeth none. Christ is confident of
their safety; and He knows what He gave up for them.
Hilar. Hilary. This is the speech of conscious power. Yet to
d?.Tri°'shew, tjiaj. t]10Uo;h 0f the Divine nature He hath His nativitv
Tii.c.22. ° J
from God, He adds, My Father which gave Me them is
greater than all. He does not conceal His birth from the
Father, but proclaims it. For that which He received from
the Father, He received in that He was born from Him. He
received it in the birth itself, not after it; though He was
^ug- born when He received it. Aug. The Son, born from ever-
xlviii.' lasting of the Father, God from God, has not equality with
the Father by growth, but by birth. This is that greater
than all which the Father gave Himb; viz. to be His Word,,
to be His Only-Begotten Son, to be the brightness of His
light. Wherefore no man taketh His sheep out of His hand,
any more than from His Father's hand : And no man is able
to pluck them out of My Father's hand. If by hand we
understand power, the power of the Father and the Son is
one, even as Their divinity is one. If we understand the Son,
the Son is the hand of the Father, not in a bodily sense, as
if God the Father had limbs, but as being He by Whom all
things were made. Men often call other men hands, when
they make use of them for any purpose. And sometimes a
man's work is itself called his hand, because made by his
hand; as when a man is said to know his own hand, when
he recognises his own handwriting. In this place, however,
hand signifies power. If we take it for Son, we shall be in
danger of imagining that if the Father has a hand, and that
Hilar, hand is His Son, the Son must have a Son too. Hilary.
Tr'in.6 The hand of the Son is spoken of as the hand of the Father,
c- 22- to let thee see, by a bodily representation, that both have the
same nature, that the nature and virtue of the Father is in
Chrjs. the Son also. Chrys. Then that thou mayest not suppose
,Ho111" that the Father's power protects the sheep, while He is
Himself too weak to do so, He adds, / and My Father are
b Pater meus quod dedit mihi majus omnibus est. V,
VER. 31 — 38. ST. JOHN. 361
one. Aug. Mark both those words, one and are. and thou Au£-
Tract.
wilt be delivered from Scylla and Charybdis. In that He xxxvi'.
says, one the Arian, in tie are the Sabellian, is answered. non occ*
There are both Father and Son. And if one, then there is
no difference of persons between them. Aug. We are one. Aug.
What He is, that am I, in respect of essence, not of relation. xrin.
Hilary. The heretics, since they cannot gainsay these 5l.?-
* Hilar.
words, endeavour by an impious lie to explain them away. viii. de
They maintain that this unity is unanimity only; a unity ofTr'n*
will, not of nature ; i. e, that the two are one, not in that they
are the same, but in that they will the same. But they are
one, not by any economy merely, but by the nativity of the
Son's nature, since there is no falling off of the Father's
divinity in begetting Him. They are one whilst the sheep
that are not plucked out of the Son's hand, are not plucked
out of the Father's hand: whilst in Him working, the Father
worketh; whilst He is in the Father, and the Father in Him.
This unity, not creation but nativity, not will but power, not
unanimity but nature accomplisheth. But we deny not
therefore the unanimity of the Father and Son ; for the
heretics, because we refuse to admit concord in the place of
unity, accuse us of making a disagreement between the
Father and Son. We deny not unanimity, but we place it on
the ground of unity. The Father and Son are one in respect
of nature, honour, and virtue : and the same nature cannot
will different things.
31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone
him.
32. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I
shewed you from my Father; for which of those works
do ye stone me?
33. The Jews answered him, saying, For a good
work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and be-
cause that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your
law, I said, Ye are gods?
35. If he called them gods, unto whom the word of
God came, and the scripture cannot be broken ;
362 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
36. Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified,
and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because
I said, I am the Son of God ?
37. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me
not.
38. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe
the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the
Father is in me, and I in him.
^u&* Aug. At this speech, I and My Father are one, the Jews
xlviii. 8. could not restrain their rage, but ran to take up stones, after
their hardhearted way : Tlien the Jews took up stones again
Hilar, to stone Him. Hilary. The heretics now, as unbelieving
Trin.6 anc^ rebellious against our Lord in heaven, shew their im-
c. 23. pious hatred by the stones, i. e. the words they cast at Him;
as if they would drag Him down again from His throne to
the cross. Theophyl. Our Lord remonstrates with them ;
Many good works have I shewed you from My Father,
shewing that they had no just reason for their auger.
Alcuin. Healing of the sick, teaching, miracles. He
shewed them of the Father, because He sought His Father's
glory in all of them. For which of these works do ye stone
Me? They confess, though reluctantly, the benefit they have
received from Him, but charge Him at the same time with
blasphemy, for asserting His equality with the Father; For
a good work we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy; and
because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God.
Aug. Aug. This is their answer to the speech, I and My Father
xMii. 8. are one. Lo, the Jews understood what the Arians under-
stand not. For they are angry for this very reason, that they
could not conceive but that by saying, / and My Father
are one, He meant the equality of the Father and the Son.
Hilar. Hilary. The Jew saith, Thou being a man, the Arian, Thou
II1: being a creature : but both say, Thou makest Thyself God.
c. 23. The Arian supposes a God of a new and different substance,
a God of another kind, or not a God at all. He saith,
Thou art not Son by birth, Thou art not God of truth; Thou
Chrys. art a superior creature. Chrys. Our Lord did not correct
lxi° 2. *ne JGWS? as if they misunderstood His speech, but con-
VER. 31 — 38. ST. JOHN. 363
firmed and defended it, in the very sense in which they had
taken it. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your
law, Aug. i. e. the Law given to you, I have said, Ye are Aug.
Gods? God saith this by the Prophet in the Psalm. Our J™?*;
Lord calls all those Scriptures the Law generally, though Ps.82,6.
elsewhere He spiritually distinguishes the Law from the
Prophets. On these two commandments hang all the LawTAxtt.
and the Prophets. In another place He makes a threefold " '
division of the Scriptures; All things must be fulfilled which Luke
were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, atid'24> 44,
in the Psalms concerning Jle. Now He calls the Psalms
the Law, and thus argues from them ; If he called them
gods unto idiom the word of God came, and the scripture
cannot be broken, say ye of Him whom the Father hath
sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, be-
cause I said, I am the Son of God? Hilary. Before Hilar,
proving that He and His Father are one, He answers the^ '
absurd and foolish charge brought against Him, that He c- 24.
being man made Himself God. When the Law applied this
title to holy men, and the indelible word of God sanctioned
this use of the incommunicable name, it could not be a crime
in Him, even though He were man, to make Himself God.
The Law called those who were mere men, gods ; and if
any man could bear the name religiously, and without arro-
gance, surely that man could, who was sanctified by the
Father, in a sense in which none else is sanctified to the
Sonship ; as the blessed Paul saith, Declared1 to be the Son \predes-
of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness. For v.
all this reply refers to Himself as man; the Son of GodRom>1>
being also the Son of man. Aug. Or sanctified, i. e. in ^u„
begetting, gave Him holiness, begat Him holv. If men to T/ac.r-
xlvin.
whom the word of God came were called gods, much more
the Word of God Himself is God. If men by partaking of
the word of God were made gods, much more is the Word
of which they partake, God. Theophyl. Or, sanctified, i.e.
set apart to be sacrificed for the world: a proof that He
was God in a higher sense than the rest. To save the world
is a divine work, not that of a man made divine bv grace.
Curys. Or, we must consider this a speech of humility, Q*!**
i • Hom.
lxi.
364 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X'
made to conciliate men. After it he leads them to higher
things; If I do not the works of My Father ', believe Me not;
which is as much as to say, that He is not inferior to the
Father. As they could not see His substance, He directs
them to His works, as being like and equal to the Father's.
For the equality of their works, proved the equality of their
Hilar, power. Hilary. What place hath adoption, or the mere
™: d*L conception of a name then, that we should not believe
Trin.26. , r 3
Him to be the Son of God by nature, when He tells us to
believe Him to be the Son of God, because the Father's
nature shewed itself in Him by His works ? A creature is
not equal and like to God : no other nature has power com-
parable to the divine. He declares that He is carrying on
not His own work, but the Father's, lest in the greatness of
the works, the nativity of His nature be forgotten. And as
1 sacra- under the sacrament1 of the assumption of a human body in
corporis tne womD °f Mary, the Son of God was not discerned, this
must be gathered from His work ; But if I do, though ye
believe not 3Ie, believe the works. Why doth the sacra-
ment of a human birth hinder the understanding of the
divine, when the divine birth accomplishes all its work by
aid of the human ? Then He tells them what they should
gather from His works; That ye may know and believe, that
the Father is in 3Ie, and I in Him. The same declaration
again, / am the Son of God: I and the Father are one.
Aug. Aug. The Son doth not say, The Father is in Me, and I in
xlrvi^ ' Him, in the sense in which men who think and act aright
10« may say the like; meaning that they partake of God's grace,
and are enlightened by His Spirit. The Only-begotten Son
of God is in the Father, and the Father in Him, as an equal
in an equal.
39. Therefore they sought again to take him: but
he escaped out of their hand,
40. And went away again beyond Jordan into the
place where John at first baptized; and there he
abode.
41. And many resorted unto him, and said5 John
ver. 39 — 42. ST. john. 365
did no miracle : but all things that John spake of this
man were true.
42. And many believed on him there.
Bede. The Jews still persist in their madness ; Therefore
they sought again to take Him. Aug. To lay hold of Him, Aug.
not by faith and the understanding, but with bloodthirsty x™^
violence. Do thou so lay hold of Him, that thou mayestn-
have sure hold ; they would fain have laid hold on Him,
but they could not : for it follows, But He escaped out of
their hand. They did lay hold of Him with the hand of
faith. It was no great matter for the Word to rescue His
flesh from the hands of flesh. Chrys. Christ, after dis- chrys.
coursing on some high truth, commonly retires immediately, H?™*
1X1, o»
to give time to the fury of people to abate, during His
absence. Thus He did now: He went away again beyond
Jordan, into the place where John at first baptized. He
went there that He might recall to people's minds, what had
gone on there ; John's preaching and testimony to Himself.
Bede. He was followed there by many: And many resorted non occ.
unto Him, and said., John did no miracle. Aug. Did not Aug.
cast out devils, did not give sight to the blind, did not raise xl™?. '
the dead. Chrys. Mark their reasoning, John did no^.12.
miracle, but this Man did ; wherefore He is the superior. Hom!
But lest the absence of miracles should lessen the weight ofIxi-3*
John's testimony, they add, But all things that John spake
of this Man were true. Though he did no miracle, yet
every thing he said of Christ was true, whence they conclude,
if John was to be believed, much more this Man, who has
the evidence of miracles. Thus it follows, And many
believed on Him. Aug. These laid hold of Him while Aug.
abiding, not, like the Jews, when departing. Let us approach v^**
by the candle to the day. John is the candle, and gave c. 12.
testimony to the day. Theophyl. We may observe that
our Lord often brings out the people into solitary places,
thus ridding them of the society of the unbelieving, for their
furtherance in the faith : just as He led the people into the
wilderness, when He gave them the old Law. Mystically,
Christ departs from Jerusalem, i. e. from the Jewish people ;
;3ti6 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. CHAP. X.
and goes to a place where are springs of water, i. e. to
the Gentile Church, that hath the waters of baptism. And
many resort unto Him, passing over the Jordan, i. e. through
baptism.
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